News Brief
North Block To Host “Time And Timelessness” Gallery Showcasing 100 Artefacts For World's Largest Museum
North and South Block buildings at Raisina Hills (Photo by Mohd Zakir/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) (Representative Image)
As part of the Central Vista Redevelopment Project, the North Block in New Delhi, once the hub of government offices, is being transformed into a cultural space.
The heritage building will soon house a new 1,500 sq m gallery titled “Time and Timelessness”, featuring around 100 landmark artefacts drawn from collections across the country, the Indian Express reported.
The gallery will be part of the larger Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum complex spread across the North and South Blocks, envisioned as the world’s largest museum with an annual capacity for 10 million visitors.
Its overarching theme highlights 5,000 years of Indian civilisation, with immersive exhibits designed to showcase the country’s historical, cultural, philosophical, and scientific evolution.
“Time and Timelessness” will trace India’s civilisational relationship with time, combining material artefacts, manuscripts, and artistic works.
Exhibits will include a terracotta hourglass from the Indus Valley site of Kalibangan (2500-1700 BC), Gupta-era sculptures from the 5th century, Chola bronzes from Tamil Nadu (10th-11th centuries), and a 16th-century astrolabe from Lahore.
The gallery will be divided into two sections: Kaal-Avadharana, which explores time as a philosophical and cosmic principle, and Kaal-Ganana, which focuses on the measured science of time.
Visitors will encounter instruments such as sundials, water clocks, and astronomical manuscripts, alongside symbolic artworks including depictions of Surya, Vishnu, Nataraja, and mythic cycles of time.
The narrative will also draw on ancient Indian scientific texts, including excerpts from Aryabhata’s Aryabhatiya, and feature cosmological diagrams, mural fragments, illustrated manuscripts, and textile scrolls.
By combining philosophy, science, and visual culture, the gallery aims to present India’s unique understanding of time as both a lived and enduring concept.
Construction of the first gallery is expected to be completed within a year. The museum will be spread over 1,54,000 sqm, making it the largest museum in the world.
