National Gallery Of Portraits

Chronicling the pre-colonial era and the events of the Indian independence, the National Gallery of Portraits in Chandigarh houses the portraits, documents, and recorded voices of great Indian leaders and freedom fighters linked with the freedom struggle.

About the Museum

A fine place for gaining insight and giving visuals to the texts that were taught to us in schools about pre-colonial India and its struggle for independence, the National Gallery of Portraits is a museum equipped with portraits of not only the freedom fighters but leaders of the freedom movements but of various historic events and incidents too. The museum is a live portrait of India’s unyielding struggle for independence that lasted for over two centuries.

National Gallery of Portraits is one of the famous art galleries of Chandigarh established in 1977 and was later renovated, enhanced, and reopened on January 13, 2007. The museum houses documents of freedom fighters, portraits, sculptures, busts, images, prints of rare documents, and copies of original writings along with an incredible assemblage of books in the library pertaining to the freedom movement. Visitors can also listen to the audios and recorded speeches of some of the great leaders and freedom fighters such as Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru and feel the vibrant energy of the movement beat through the speakers and thawing your heart.

A huge exhibition hall comprises 41 information panels detailing various incidents and conspiracies that took place during the exhaustive freedom struggle. The panel describes the events of the Ghadar movement (1914-15), Indian revolutionaries abroad (1907-13), trials and hangings of Ghadrites (1915-19), and the Kamagatamaru episode (1914-15). Exhibits such as the portrait of Rani Laxmi Bai made with POP, a stunning cloth painting of Taj Mahal, a diorama depicting the burning of foreign cloth during the Swadeshi Movement, paintings of Jallianwala Bagh, Do or Die, Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna, and Azad Hind Fauz decorates and enhances the display and add to the inspiring exhibition. Every Sunday the gallery in the museum features a film at 2 pm on the freedom movement of India which attracts even more visitors.