Sanskar Kendra Kite Museum (Patang Museum)

The Kite Museum, known as the Patang Museum, occupies part of Sanskar Kendra, the city museum building in Paldi, west Ahmedabad, designed by the Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier. Sanskar Kendra was commissioned by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and completed in 1954 as a cultural centre; it is one of the group of Le Corbusier buildings in the city and shows his use of raw concrete, brick, pilotis and a ramp-linked plan. The kite museum was established in 1985 and it is dedicated to the kite-flying tradition of Gujarat, above all the festival of Uttarayan, held each January around Makar Sankranti, when the skies over Ahmedabad fill with kites. The collection documents the history and craft of kites in India and abroad. Displays include kites of many shapes and sizes made of paper and bamboo, traditional patang designs, tools and materials for kite-making, the manja string used in kite fighting, and photographs and explanatory panels about the festival and the cultural meaning of kite flying. Some exhibits explain the techniques of local makers and the aerodynamics of the kite, and there are examples from other countries, including Japan and China, that place the Gujarati tradition in a wider context. The presentation is thematic rather than strictly chronological, and it is aimed at general visitors and families. The museum has been kept open by the municipal corporation, and the building itself is a draw for visitors interested in modern architecture, although the maintenance of both the museum displays and the Le Corbusier fabric has been variable over the years, and exhibits can look dated. The visit is short and inexpensive. Because Sanskar Kendra sits in a residential district near the river, visitors often pair it with other Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn buildings or with a visit to the Calico Museum, and January visits give a chance to see Uttarayan itself.