The US is home to the world’s second largest Hindu temple in New Jersey, North America’s tallest Hanuman statue in Texas, a hilltop Shiva temple in North Carolina, and A Venkateswara Temple with the tallest gopuram in the West. Most Indian temples from East Coast to West Coast dabble as cultural centers where kids born to immigrants learn their mother tongues, Hindu scriptures, and Sanskrit slokas. But there is no dedicated museum on Indian history and heritage in America that 5.3 million Indian immigrants call home.
The absence of an Indian museum is starkly felt in the current socio-political climate of America where anti-Indian narratives are building up. It motivated a group of Indian Americans to build permanent landmarks in major cities where the US can walk through India’s civilizational and historical journey dating back 11,000 years. Led by Dr Amitabh Sharma, an eminent entrepreneur and educationist in Atlanta, their collective vision has shaped as a nonprofit – India Heritage Center.
All about first Indian history museum in USA
The US-based India Heritage Center’s first ambitious project is coming up in the American capital, after 8 years of research and planning. The proposed Indian museum in Washington DC will be a first-of-its-kind institution sprawling over a 20,000sqft area. Ten galleries, a library, a 350-seat auditorium, a gift center, and a food court are being planned under one roof at the museum. Each of the ten galleries would transport visitors to a different era of India’s grand civilization, great history, and glorious culture.
The upcoming India heritage and history museum in D.C. will be equipped with state-of-the-art technologies to depict India’s progress through immersive storytelling supported by world-class audio-video systems and augmented virtual reality, according to Dr Amitabh Sharma. India’s eventful journey from pre-historic times to Mangalyaan would have subdivisions, like scientific progress, technological milestones, spiritual heritage, cultural developments, global contributions, colonial history, periods of adversity, and modern democracy.
The first dedicated Indian museum in the US capital would sensitize Americans and other first-world citizens about India’s Indus Valley civilization, Vedic traditions, spiritual practices, Ayurveda, cultural evolution, independence movements, and socio-economic achievements in different walks of life. The museum will also serve other ethnic immigrants in the US, who may have limited knowledge of India’s greatness, inclusiveness, contribution, and unity in diversity.
India Heritage Center’s first museum costs in D.C.
The nonprofit India Heritage Center’s CEO Amitabh Sharma has estimated the Washington DC museum project cost between $12 million and $14 million. He urges Indian American CEOs, billionaires, community leaders and conglomerates to make generous contributions to the project and help build a landmark museum in the US capital for generations.
Not a good idea to do it in Washington DC because it is already saturated with such things. Moreover, it will be vandalized, attract protestors, and quite costly to maintain. First of all it is not needed and if they really want it then west coast might be a be a better place due to round the year favorable weather, tolerance level, etc.