Shankar's International Dolls Museum

Shankar's International Dolls Museum was founded in 1965 by the political cartoonist Keshav Shankar Pillai, who collected costume dolls on his many trips abroad, including tours on which he travelled with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The collection now numbers more than 6,000 pieces from close to 85 countries.

The displays are split into two sections. One covers the United Kingdom, mainland Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States, the United States, Australia and New Zealand, with items such as Hungarian Maypole dance figures and British queen dolls. The other covers India, the Middle East, Africa and the rest of Asia, including more than 500 Indian dolls in regional dress, Japanese Kabuki, Samurai and festival dolls, and a Thai orchestra of women.