Two of Chandigarh’s most prominent cultural institutions — the Government Museum and Art Gallery, and the Natural History Museum, both in Sector 10, are poised for a comprehensive upgrade, aimed at aligning them with the contemporary museum standards and enhancing visitor engagement through modern technology and improved infrastructure.
The initiative, with a combined estimated cost of over ₹60 crore, marks a step towards preserving the city’s rich heritage while reimagining its presentation for future generations.
Isha Kamboj, director, Museum and Art Gallery, said the museum has not undergone any major upgrade in the past 15 years. In 2017, the Getty Foundation sanctioned a grant of ₹95 lakh for preparing a conservation management plan (CMP) for the museum. Following the completion of the CMP, a detailed project report (DPR) was prepared that is expected to be submitted shortly to the ministry of culture under the Museum Grants Scheme. The proposed upgradation, estimated at around ₹30 crore, includes building conservation, redesigned interiors and exhibition displays, new display cases and partitions, improved signage, advanced fire safety and risk management systems, enhanced security and CCTV coverage, modern lighting, passenger lifts, upgraded HVAC systems, improved collection storage, conservation of artefacts, and digital and multimedia installations such as AR/VR, holographic displays and audio guides. The conservation laboratory equipment will also be modernised, the museum director said.
The Government Museum and Art Gallery, designed by renowned architect Le Corbusier, was established in 1968. Over the decades, the museum has built an impressive collection of nearly 12,000 artefacts spanning Indian miniature paintings, Gandhara sculptures, ancient and medieval metal and stone sculptures, terracotta works, manuscripts, textiles, decorative arts, pottery, scrolls, coins and modern and contemporary Indian art.
{{/usCountry}}The Government Museum and Art Gallery, designed by renowned architect Le Corbusier, was established in 1968. Over the decades, the museum has built an impressive collection of nearly 12,000 artefacts spanning Indian miniature paintings, Gandhara sculptures, ancient and medieval metal and stone sculptures, terracotta works, manuscripts, textiles, decorative arts, pottery, scrolls, coins and modern and contemporary Indian art.
{{/usCountry}}The museum is particularly celebrated for its rare collection of Pahari miniature paintings by masters, such as Pandit Seu, Nainsukh and Manaku. Its modern art section features iconic works by MF Husain, Jamini Roy, Amrita Sher-Gil and Tyeb Mehta, making it one of the most significant repositories of art in northern India.
The Natural History Museum’s facelift plan will entail an expenditure of nearly ₹34 crore. The plans include a redesigned waiting area with a souvenir shop, simulator rides, upgraded displays, an immersive experiential cyclorama gallery, an interactive dinosaur gallery using AR/VR, HVAC improvements, a solar photovoltaic power generation system, VR-based games and digital kiosks.
The museum has four sections—Redefining Our Past, Cyclorama of Evolution of Life, Dinosaur of India, and Evolution of Man. While rich in content, the museum relies largely on static displays, limiting its appeal to contemporary audiences.
This process is expected to take about five months, after which the upgrade work on the Chandigarh Architecture Museum will also be taken up. Conservation work at the architecture museum is underway, with the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi, entrusted with preserving its valuable drawings, prints and documents.