Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts — Attraction in New Delhi

Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), New Delhi is a premier government-funded arts organization in India. It is an autonomous institute under the Union Ministry of Culture. It was established in the memory of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, with Kapila Vatsyayan as its founding director. The IGNCA was launched on 19 November 1985 by Prime Minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi at a function where the symbolism of the components was clearly articulated at different levels. The elements - fire, water, earth, sky and vegetation - were brought together. Five rocks from five major rivers - Sindhu (Indus), Ganga, Kaveri, Mahanadi and the Narmada (where the most ancient ammonite fossils are found) were composed into sculptural forms. These remain at the site as reminders of the antiquity of Indian culture and the sacredness of her rivers and rocks.

The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts Trust was constituted and registered at New Delhi on 24 March 1987.

The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, established in memory of Indira Gandhi, is visualised as a centre encompassing the study and experience of all the arts—each form with its own integrity, yet within a dimension of mutual interdependence, interrelated with nature, social structure and cosmology.

Its official goals are:

to serve as a major resource centre for Indian arts, especially written, oral and visual source materials

to conduct research on the arts and humanities, and to publish reference works, glossaries, dictionaries and encyclopedias

to establish a tribal and folk arts division with a core collection for conducting systematic scientific studies and live presentations

to provide a forum for dialogue through performances, exhibitions, multi-media projections, conferences, seminars and workshops on traditional and contemporary Indian arts

to foster dialogue between the arts and current ideas in philosophy, science and technology, with a view toward bridging the gap in intellectual understanding between modern sciences and arts and culture

to evolve models of research programmes and arts administration pertinent to the Indian ethos

to elucidate the formative and dynamic factors in the complex web of interactions between diverse social strata, communities and regions

to interact with other national and international institutions

to conduct related research in the arts,...

Had been living in Delhi for last 35 years and never been to IGNCA. It was because of Gaj Mahotsav (Majestic Asian Elephant as India’s National Heritage Animal), I recently visited Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts, popularly known as IGNCA which is located on Man Singh Road near Andhra Bhavan on Rajpath Area, which can be reached by taking bus or Metro: Central Secretariat is the nearest Metro Station from where it is only 5 minutes walk.

IGNCA comes under Ministry of Culture, Government of India which was inaugurated by Rajiv Gandhi in 1985 with main objective to serve as the major Resource Centre for Arts. It has got Nine Regional Centres and Ten Divisions in its Delhi Centre. IGNCA has got huge Campus at the most prime location in Lutyen's Delhi. It has got a library (full of resources: books, films, DVDs, Videos, online access etc), an Exhibition Hall, Media Centre, Mati Ghar, Amphitheatre and huge open space of exhibitions. Entire Campus is awesome, beautiful with good plantation. Do not forget to see Gandhiji’s Dandi March display picture. Fee to use library and other resources is nominal. One can keep bag etc in locker provided just outside library. Its Mati Ghar is also attractive where one can see live pottery display. Most of IGNCA events are sponsored. Staff is friendly and helping. One can spend 2-3 hours. Washrooms are neat and clean.

A must visit for all Art lovers. Amazed to see number of life-size man made elephants made of varieties of material during Gaj Mahotsav. Surprised to know that many artisans are working in field of art concerning elephants.

Waiting for announcement for IGNCA’s next event. Must visit again.

Thank you for going...

The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts  is visualised as a centre encompassing the study and experience of all the arts – each form with its own integrity, yet within a dimension of mutual interdependence, interrelated with nature, social structure and cosmology.This view of the arts, integrated with, and essential to the larger matrix of human culture, is predicated upon Smt. Gandhi’s recognition of the role of the arts as essential to the integral quality of person, at home with himself and society. It partakes of the holistic worldview so powerfully articulated throughout Indian tradition, and emphasized by modern Indian leaders from Mahatma Gandhi to Rabindranath Tagore. The arts are here understood to comprise the fields of creative and critical literature, written and oral; the visual arts, ranging from architecture, sculpture, painting and graphics to general material culture, photography and film; the performing arts of music, dance and theatre in their broadest connotation; and all else in fairs, festivals and lifestyle that has an artistic dimension. In its initial stages the Centre will focus attention on India; it will later expand its horizons to other civilizations and cultures. Through diverse programmes of research, publication, training, creative activities and performance, the IGNCA seeks to place the arts within the context of the natural and human environment. The fundamental approach of the Centre is all its work will be both multidisciplinary and...