In France, an agreement signed in December 2024 with the France Muséums agency to lay the groundwork for a new national museum in Delhi, the Yuga Yugeen Bharat, which translates to "the museum of timeless and eternal India," went completely unnoticed. In India, however, this project to build the "world's largest museum," aimed at telling the country's history, is already controversial.
A national museum already exists in the Indian capital. However, it is considered too small for the grand ambitions of the nationalist prime minister, Narendra Modi, who is concerned about his legacy. The future institution will be housed in 140,000 m2 of administrative buildings dating from 1927, currently occupied by the Interior, Defense and Foreign Affairs Ministries.
A teaser video unveiled in May 2023 during the International Museum Expo announced the creation of 950 rooms aimed at promoting Indian traditions, historical heritage, medieval India, the struggle for freedom and independent India.
A thick veil of mystery surrounds the project. "No budget or plan has been made public, nor how the objects will be transported and stored," said Indian online media The Wire. The writing of the national narrative is particularly concerning to the public, despite promises of inclusivity reiterated in December. "If anybody has crushed diversity in the last 1,000 years, it is the current government," snapped the former Indian Minister of Culture, Jawhar Sircar, interviewed by The Art Newspaper.
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