“Culture in many ways is the essence of soft power,” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said as India and France signed “a project of great national importance” – a museum, the world’s largest, which will be located on Raisina Hill – Right in front of Rashtrapati Bhavan. Named ‘Yug Yugin Bharat National Museum’, the museum will tell the story of India – a timeline of over 5,000 years.
It will be located on Raisina Hill, the seat of the Central Government. The museum will be located in the North Block and South Block buildings, which currently house the Ministry of External Affairs, Home Ministry, Defense Ministry, Finance Ministry and several other ministerial offices.
The museum – a project of national heritage, prestige and importance – will cover an area of 1.17 lakh square meter with 950 rooms spread over a basement and three floors. In his speech after the signing of the agreement by India and France, Mr Jaishankar said, “What is being seen today is a very significant expression of international cooperation, based on exchange of best practices and sharing of experiences. is based.”
“We have gathered here today for a project of great national importance… When South Block and North Block become the kind of museums that have been envisioned, I think we will truly be on a mission to rebuild India.” Will see inspiration.”
Raisina Hill, consisting of two identical blocks facing each other with the Rashtrapati Bhavan adjacent, was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker between 1911–1931.
France, which wanted to be part of this mega project, has a similar history with respect to its famous museum – The Louvre – and therefore global expertise in the adaptive reuse of historic buildings of archaeological importance.
The Louvre (and its older wings) were also part of a grand palatial building in the French capital, Paris, and the French Ministry of Finance was located in a part of the palatial structure that we now see as a world-famous museum and landmark.
Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that the mapping work and blueprint has almost been completed in North Block and is currently being carried out in the entire South Block.
Here is an illustrative video shared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his YouTube page that highlights the salient features of the world’s largest museum – the Yug Yugin Bharat National Museum:
According to a government release, the Yug Yugin Bharat National Museum aims to redefine the museum experience, providing a platform that celebrates India’s heritage while embracing contemporary narratives. An official announcement regarding the completion of the project and its subsequent grand inauguration is yet to be made.