National Museum – Decorative Arts, Paintings, Scripts, Traditional Lifestyles, New Delhi, India
The National Museum in New Delhi showcases decorative arts, paintings, ancient scripts, and India’s traditional lifestyles and cultural heritage. 1243
National Museum, New Delhi: Secretariat
Date Picture Taken: Feb, 2026
This is a continuation of the previous blog on the National Museum, featuring its collections of decorative arts, paintings, ancient scripts and manuscripts, and exhibits depicting India’s traditional lifestyles and cultural heritage.
Decorative Arts 2



India’s 19th- and 20th-century decorative arts reflect a rich tradition of craftsmanship, including textiles, jewelry, metalwork, woodwork, ceramics, furniture, and ornamental objects, blending regional traditions with changing artistic influences.


































Indian scripts evolved over thousands of years, from ancient writing systems such as Brahmi and Kharosthi to the many regional scripts used across India today.





Deccan miniature paintings developed in the royal courts of southern and central India, particularly from the 16th to 19th centuries. They are known for their rich colors, elegant figures, detailed costumes, dramatic landscapes, and scenes of royal life, music, literature, and religion.
















Coins and Inscriptions














Indian Inscriptions



Scripts and Chronology










Religious Text & Iconography







Tribal Lifestyle of North-East India

The tribal lifestyles of Northeast India reflect the region’s rich cultural diversity, with communities maintaining distinctive traditions in clothing, jewelry, farming, hunting, crafts, music, dance, and religious practices. Museum displays often recreate traditional homes and everyday objects to illustrate how these communities lived and worked.
































Musical Instruments























Wood Carvings


















Central Asian Antiquities - Paintings, stuccos, scripts and other objects























Mural Paintings from The Thousand Buddha Caves, Bezeklik, Central Asia





Central Asian Antiquities - Silk Paintings and Banners from Dunhuang













