NewzVille Desk
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is announced that entry to all ASI monuments and museums across the country will be free on 18 May 2025 (Sunday), on the occasion of International Museum Day.
International Museum Day highlights the vital role that museums play in preserving cultural heritage, promoting education, and fostering dialogue across communities and generations.
To encourage wider public participation this year, the ASI is offering free access to its network of 52 site museums and all the ticketed monuments across the country, which house some of India’s most treasured archaeological artefacts — from prehistoric tools and sculptures to medieval inscriptions, and more.
The initiative seeks to deepen public engagement with India’s rich cultural legacy and to provide a meaningful platform for people to reconnect with history and heritage.
ASI also has a dedicated Museum Wing which deals with maintenance and management of 52 Site-Museums, which includes Sarnath (1910) being the earliest in the series of Archaeological Site Museums across the country.
The concept of Archaeological Site Museums came up to preserve and display the excavated and movable artefacts near the site so that the displayed objects don’t lose its context and may be studied by researchers and visitors alike while visiting the site.
Recently, India’s first Underground Museum at the World Heritage Site of Humayun’s Tomb was inaugurated, along with Virtual Experiential Musuem at Man Mahan Observatory, Varanasi and Archaeological site of Lalitagiri at Odisha.
ASI Site-Museums are being upgraded to facilitate the need of every section of the society and modern interventions like AR-VR also being incorporated to give visitors a holistic experience.
Having Pan India reach with 3,698 protected monuments and sites, and 52 museums, ASI’s 26 sites are in UNESCO’s World Heritage list—highlighting ASI’s commitment in preserving and celebrating the nation’s rich historical legacy and architectural marvels.
