The NMNH owes its genesis to Smt. Indira Gandhi, the former Prime Minister, who while considering new projects to be initiated in 1972 on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of India's Independence, decided that the country needs a Museum of Natural History to depict its flora, fauna and mineral wealth to provide an out of school facility for education of children and to promote environmental awareness among the masses. The NMNH opened its doors to the public in a rented building in Mandi house on 5th June 1978, coinciding symbolically with the World Environment Day.