India to build mega-museum with world’s ‘largest display area’

India’s cabinet has approved a US$340 million museum in New Delhi, which the government says will have the world’s largest display area. The project highlights the government’s focus on India’s pre-colonial history and cultural identity, while adapting buildings originally designed during British rule.

Named Yuge Yugeen Bharat, or “India through the ages”, the museum will use the former North and South Blocks and cover about 178,509 square metres. A first gallery is expected to open by the end of 2027, with completion planned for the 2030-31 financial year; around 1.8 million objects have been identified for possible display, and the site is designed for up to 10 million visitors annually.