Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum: Everything We Know So Far About The World's Largest Museum To Be Built In India

The British Museum in London and the Grand Louvre in Paris are two of the largest museums in the world. Each museum covers around 70,000 square metres and houses millions of objects.

However, this may change in the future as India and France collaborate to create the Yuge Yugeen Bharat National Museum in New Delhi.

This new museum will cover an impressive 1.17 lakh square metres, according to officials.

During the inauguration of the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre complex in Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the Yuge Yugeen Bharat National Museum will soon become the largest museum in the world.

In May, the Prime Minister had already released a virtual walkthrough of the museum, and its construction was mentioned in the joint statement following Modi's visit to France in July.

The Yuge Yugeen Bharat National Museum will be divided into eight thematic zones.

It aims to showcase historical events, personalities, ideas, and achievements that have shaped India's past and contributed to its present. The museum will tell the story of India's civilisation over 5,000 years, symbolising its "perennial" nature, as stated by officials.

Although the project is expected to be completed by 2026, no concrete deadline has been set yet. The museum will be located in the North and South Block, which are currently office buildings and will require time for conversion into visitor-friendly spaces, according to sources.

The final design of the new museum will be determined by the Culture Ministry once they complete their work on the theme and content.

Construction will commence once the ministries and the Prime Minister’s Office, currently located in North Block and South Block, are relocated as part of the Central Vista project.

The current National Museum on Janpath will be replaced by government offices, and its collection will be transferred to the new space.

Officials have stated that France will contribute its expertise in major cultural projects to India.

The project will involve retrofitting a heritage building, similar to the approach taken with the Louvre Palace, to accommodate the display, storage, and exhibition of various artifacts.

According to officials, the new museum aims to be more interactive and will incorporate audiovisual elements and virtual walkthroughs.

During a discussion at CEPT University in October 2021, Bimal Patel, the architect of the Central Vista redevelopment, highlighted the symbolic significance of the new national museum project.

He emphasised that by transforming the use and meaning of the space, they are reshaping the iconography of power originally established by the British during the Raj era.