Museums and archives
Where to see Indian art in the Netherlands and where to trace ancestors from India and Suriname.
The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam shows Indian bronzes and sculpture in its Asian Pavilion, including a famous dancing Shiva. The Wereldmuseum, with branches in Amsterdam, Leiden and Rotterdam, holds large South Asian collections.
The National Archives in The Hague keep the records of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), inscribed on UNESCO's Memory of the World register and rich in material on the Dutch trading posts in India. They also hold the records of the Hindustani indentured labourers who sailed from India to Suriname between 1873 and 1916: for many Surinamese Hindustanis the start of their family tree.
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Useful links
- Rijksmuseum rijksmuseum.nl
Asian Pavilion with Indian art. - Wereldmuseum wereldmuseum.nl
Amsterdam, Leiden and Rotterdam. - Nationaal Archief nationaalarchief.nl
VOC archives and the index of Hindustani indentured labourers.