Temple Replicas To Sports Memorabilia: PM Modi's 1,500 Gifts Up For Auction
The eighth edition of PM Mementos e-Auction opens at the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi, offering more than 1,500 gifts that have passed through the hands of the prime minister. From temple models to high‑tech plaques, the catalogue reads like a visual encyclopedia of contemporary India.
Traditional craft is front‑and‑center. Replicas of the Hatkeshwar Mahadev, Ambaji and Somnath temples sit beside intricate Pithora paintings, Bhujodi shawls and Lippan wall art, each echoing regional aesthetics that have survived centuries.
Yet the collection does not linger in the past. A solar‑tile model inspired by the Modhera Sun Temple, a miniature of AIIMS Rajkot and an INS Vikrant semiconductor plaque titled “Charkha to Chips” signal how heritage and innovation are being woven together.
Sports fans will find their own highlights: an autographed para‑table‑tennis jersey, the competition jacket worn by Paralympic gold‑medallist Avani Lekhara, and a scale model of the stealth frigate INS Nilgiri, each celebrating recent Indian achievements on the world stage.
All proceeds are earmarked for the Namami Gange Programme, the government’s river‑clean‑up mission, continuing a track record of raising over Rs 50 crore in previous editions. For collectors, the auction offers a rare chance to own a piece of diplomatic history while supporting an environmental cause.