near Police Memorial, JLN Road, Jaipur
The Dolls Museum was set up in 1974 by Shrimati Bhagwanibai Gauridutt Sekhsaria Charitable Trust. Over the years, the museum fell into neglect and the condition of the dolls deteriorated. It was in the year 2014 that S.S. Bhandari, a chartered accountant from Jaipur, along with a group of dedicated citizens renovated the museum and overtook the restoration of dolls with the help of art conservator Rashmi Sharma. Shivani Sethia, London, and Rotary Club, Japan have donated English puppets and Japanese dolls to the museum respectively.
The doll collection of the museum displayed in five galleries is from about 40 different countries. The new wing of the museum, Savita Ranjit Singh Bhandar, is named after Bhandari’s parents. The museum houses Indian state dolls displayed in special apparel reflecting bridal wear, everyday clothing, and dance costumes. The traditional doll collection from Japan, most of which is made from wood, includes Kokeshi dolls, Namahage dolls, Kamakura dolls, Kanto Matsuri dolls, and Tanabata dolls. Dolls made from paper and whale teeth from Japan are also on display. Dolls adorning traditional attire from other countries such as Mexico, Italy, Turkey, Norway, Peru, Uganda, Burgundy, Mongolia and more attract visitor’s attention. The museum also has a section of English puppets and handcrafted wooden toys.
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Interior view of one of the galleries at Doll Museum
One of the dolls from the collection 'Dances of India—Cultural Festivity'.
A set of dolls wearing traditional dress of Burgundy.
A set of dolls from the collection 'Gaiety in Costumes (European Dolls)'.
Hina Matsuri Dolls with emperor and empress.
One of the dolls from the collection 'One world—Art in creation'.
Kokeshi are Japanese dolls, originally from northern Japan. They are handmade from wood, have a simple trunk and enlarged head with a few thin painted lines to define the face. The body has floral design painted in red, black, and sometimes yellow, and are covered with a layer of wax. One characteristic of kokeshi dolls is their lack of arms or legs. They are exchanged amongst friends with written messages stored within them as tokens of friendship.
Namahage in traditional Japanese folklore is a demon-like being, portrayed by men wearing hefty ogre masks and traditional straw caps (mino) during a new year's ritual in northern Honshu, Japan. The Namahage dolls here are made of whale teeth.
Hina Mengyo dolls of bride and bridegrooms
The Kamakura festival is held every year on February 15 and 16 in Yokote. The festival features many igloo-like snow houses, called kamakura, which are built at various locations across the city. Within each kamakura, there is a snow altar dedicated to the water deity. A charcoal brazier is set up to provide warmth and grilled rice cakes.
₹ 10 Indian citizen
₹ 50 Foreign tourist