Bharat Bhavan

India's finest multi-arts centre, designed by Charles Correa, with exceptional tribal art galleries

Bharat Bhavan opened in 1982 as a multi-arts complex funded by the Madhya Pradesh government — unusual at the time for its stated commitment to folk and tribal art alongside contemporary work. The galleries hold what is considered one of India's finest collections of tribal (Adivasi) art: Gond painting, Baiga work, terracotta and sculpture from across the state. The contemporary art collection is also strong, with works by major Indian artists of the late 20th century.

Beyond the galleries, the complex has an open-air amphitheatre, an indoor theatre, studios for resident artists, and a library. Events — theatre, dance, music — run throughout the year, and the programming is genuinely eclectic. The building itself, half-submerged in the hillside above the Upper Lake, is worth visiting for the architecture alone.

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A story
Charles Correa designed Bharat Bhavan to step down the hillside toward the Upper Lake in a series of terraces, so that the building is half-buried in the landscape and the rooftops become courtyards. The effect is that you move through it without quite knowing if you are inside or outside, which was intentional — Correa wanted a building that felt like an Indian bazaar rather than a Western museum box. It remains one of the best examples of postcolonial Indian architecture.