About MGC Asian Traditional Textiles Museum

Museum showcases costumes, fabrics traditional and contemporary trends. Museum also explains about the cultural relations between the two rivers Ganga and Mekong through the textiles. There are picture narrative describing myths and traditionals, also in a do it myself corner the visitors can feel, touch and understanding the processes of making textiles.

A walk through the galleries of this wonderfully conceptualized museum, gives a feel of connectivity between the mighty rivers Ganga and Mekong. A visit to this museum is an opportunity to experience the textiles treasures from India, Cambodia and other members States of Mekong region. This is an excellent effort, not only at showcasing our vibrant textiles traditions but also at nurturing those traditions by providing a larger audience an insight into the traditional skills and textile crafts.

The MGC Asian Traditional Textiles Museum aims to familiarise the public with a range of textile traditions from India and the Mekong delta. The Museum also represents the civilisational, cultural and commercial linkages among the member countries down the centuries.

The Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) Asian Traditional Textiles Museum was opened in April 2014. The Museum explores raw materials, methods of processing the raw materials, weaving methods, methods of decorating the textiles, variety of textiles etc. from the Mekong-Ganga region. It features all-encompassing processes of making of traditional textile from around the cultures of these two rivers.

Cambodia, India, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam are the countries that have collaborated in the establishment and collections of the MGC Asian Traditional Textiles Museum. The Museum features the strong textile traditions of these countries.

The Museum aims to make the viewing and understanding of variegated styles of textiles, their processes and contemporary fashion etc. a joyful and enriching experience.

Permanent collections: The MGC Asian Traditional Textiles Museum features extensive collections related to the textile traditions of countries in the Mekong-Ganga region. Each country has its own varieties of silk cocoon. Cambodia and Vietnam have gold cocoon feeding on the mulberry. India has Tussar, Endi/Eri, Muga varieties. Siem Reap is the gateway town to Angkor Park, where each of the monuments show many narratives from Hindu and Buddhist mythology. The carvings on the walls and the sculptures in the monuments speak volumes about the Angkor traditional textiles. But the drapes, styles etc. of the textiles on these carving and sculptures do not relate to the texture, colors, materials, vibrancy etc. of the textiles.