The IGNCA was launched on 19th November, 1985 by the late Prime Minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi at a function where the symbolism of the components was clearly articulated at different levels. The elements - fire, water, earth, sky and vegetation - were brought together. Five rocks from five five major rivers - Sindhu, Ganga, Kaveri, Mahanadi and the Narmada where the most ancient ammonite fossils are found were composed into sculptural forms. The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, established in memory of Smt. Indira Gandhi, is visualised as a centre encompassing the study and experience of all the arts -- each form with its own integrity, yet within a dimension of mutual interdependence, interrelated with nature, social structure and cosmology. It is an amazing place for true art lovers. Except on Sundays and on public holidays, it is opened on all days between 9:30am to 6:30pm.