log 4- The National Museum of Crafts and Hastkala Academy

Man, this trip was fun. It somehow connected me back to my old forgotten love of museums, and I rediscovered once more my passion for them.

To me they are living remnants of history, they are stories, anectodes, memoirs, of times long past. They are our predecessors’ way of speaking to us, across time, and they say, “Hello. I exist. This craft proves it.”

They’re pieces of the past, that carry shards of ordinary lives past with them, which poke us, which draw our attention, and weave a magnificent tapestry for us.

The entry to the museum is free, although to get an enriched experience, you could pay to obtain an audio guide to the museum. I, naturally, got myself one without a second thought. And I am glad I did.

Each and every exhibit in the museum holds within itself a rich history, that can’t merely be plastered on a bronze plaque for people to read.

The first exhibit you see is a recreation of a classic Aiyanaar shrine, with the idols of his wives, purana and puskala beside him. His advisor, Karuppu, stands tall beside them. they are surrounded by more attendants and various steeds of Aiyanaar Himself.

Further along, you see various inscriptions in various regional art styles all over the external walls of the museum gallery. Patachitra, Mithila, Warli art, among many other styles are shown in vivid detail, telling stories and weaving tapestries for us, and transporting us through them into the world of their creators.

As you enter the gallery, you pass through an ornate wood and metal door, displaying the myriad forms of lord Vishnu, including but not limited to his Dasavatars.

Inside the (thankfully air-conditioned) gallery, we are introduced to a myriad forms of historical art and craft, from kathakali dolls, to puppets, and even wooden statues from nagaland, in all their unsettling glory.

What particularly caught my attention was the bhuta statue exhibit, of wooden statues carved from dark, glossy jackfruit wood, meant to be manifestations of ethereal spirits, which could be ghosts, spirits, deities, the divine, or even demons. The one that particularly caught my eye is the one with the three-headed, four-armed boar, with malicious grins on each snout.

The enormous Rajasthani Phad paintings, carried by priests from town to town to tell stories of deities and gods, also deserve mention.

After this, we went to the courtyard, where a smaller wooden version of the great chariot of Shri Jagannadh at Puri was placed.

Past the courtyard, is the textile gallery, telling of a rich tradition and culture of Indian clothing, one told in dyes and yarn, in weaves and stitches. From brocade, to zari, to bandhani, to pashmina, It covers it all.

Beyond the gallery, lies another courtyard, where there is a darbar court birdhouse adorning the scene.

As we walk the path, we come back to the chariot courtyard, and go to the cultic artefact exhibit, which had many, many more interesting exhibits.

However, one had me deeply captivated.

It was a statue of avalokateshwar, a bodhisattva with a thousand hands, and a thousand eyes, so that he could see all the suffering in the world. every hand in the foreground is held in a mudra, and his foremost two hands are joined in prayer.

when we exit the gallery, we go past, to another courtyard, this time with a small garden in the middle with a simplistic tribal shrine in the middle. It offers a rather calming setting, and also has a water cooler for us to refill our bottles.

As we return outside and walk past the galleries, we arrive at the live demonstration area, where craftsmen, artisans and artists practice their craft right in the museum premises. If we’re lucky enough, we might just be in time for the shadow puppet show. The puppeteers always put a great deal of flourish into their show, making it a genuine delight to watch.

All in all, the National Museum of Crafts and Hastkala Academy is a vital part of the movement keeping India’s traditions and rich history alive, and most definitely warrants another visit.

After all, there is so much left still to see.

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