The establishment of the Jawaharlal Nehru State Museum at Itanagar, the capital town of Arunachal Pradesh was sponsored by the State Implementation Committee under the chairmanship of Sri R. D. Pradhan, His Excellency the Governor and Vice-Chairmanship of Sri Gegong Apang, the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, to commemorate the Birth Centenary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India. This Museum has been set up by shifting the central Museum of the Government from Shillong on 15 January, 1990.

It reflects the history and culture of the region. The museum houses unique woodcarvings, handicrafts, and musical instruments. It has a separate section for archaeology, where antique collections unearthed are exhibited. The handicraft section here lets you view the processing of cane manufacturing. The library in the museum has a wide range of books. The ground floor of the museum houses an extensive ethnographic collection including local clothing, headdress, weapons, music instruments, jewelry, traditional art, religious objects, and handicrafts like wood carving and cane products and other artifacts of daily use and culture. While the first floor has archaeological objects found in Ita Fort, Noksparbat and Malinithan in West Siang district.

Jawaharlal Nehru State Museum, Itanagar

In 2011, Tapi Mra, the first person from the state to scale Mt. Everest, donated his entire expedition gear to the museum. Apart from its collection, the museum runs a workshop for traditional cane products at its Handicrafts Centre. The museum shop sells tribal handicrafts.

It is also referred to as Jawaharlal Nehru Museum or State Museum. Over the years, the museum has become an important tourist destination in the state capital. The committee has maintained the place quite well. It is neat & clean and museum staff is very generous and cooperative. Visit this place to have a glimpse of rich culture of the people of Arunachal Pradesh.