The two sections of Doll's Museum in Delhi have more than160 glass cases mounted on the walls. One section of it has exhibits from European countries, the United Kingdom, the United States Australia, New Zealand, and the other from Asian countries, the Middle East, Africa and India. There
are also some other special exhibits of genuine Indian costume dolls made at the Doll's Workshop attached to the Museum.
Indian dolls which are made at the workshop here are exchanged for gifts received from overseas as well as sold to collectors and museums in India and abroad. The dolls at Doll's Museum are all hand crafted after careful research into the physical attributes, dress and jewelery. The dolls were awarded
the First prize, Golden Peacock Feather, at the Dolls Biennale held in Cracow, Poland, in the year 1980. The total collection of Doll's Museum’s costume dolls were inspired by a gift of a single doll, which Shankar got from the Ambassador of Hungary in the early fifties, to be given away as a prize in the Shankar’s International Children’s Competition. Shankar liked the doll very much and after due permission from the Ambassador, he kept the doll for himself.
After that he started collecting dolls and very soon he made a collection of around 500 dolls which he decided to exhibit in various places in India along with the paintings done by children. Later with due suggestion and assistance from Indira Gandhi, a permanent doll's museum was built up.The Museum became ready in 1965 and was inaugurated by the then President of India, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan
The Doll's Museum in Delhi remains open from 10 am to 6.00 pm without any lunch break. The entry fees are Rs. 10/- for adults and Rs. 5/- for children. The Museum remains closed on Mondays and other National holidays.
For more information contact:
Shankar’s International Dolls Museum
Nehru House
4 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg
New Delhi 110002
Phone: 91-11-3316970–74
Fax: 91-11-3721090
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