Museums are a treasure house of knowledge, filled with artefacts that cannot be found easily. However, in recent times, Museums have become a dying trend.
We can’t help but be heartbroken while looking at the empty corridors of museums, which once housed the gazes and curiosities of thousands. The silence in these rooms has inspired us to take an effort to make museums relevant once again.
As we are closing in on International Museums Day, which is on 18th May. We would like to compile a list of five unique museums that can be found in India. So the next generation of children can visit these museums and fascinate themselves with these artefacts.
- Balasinor Dinosaur Museum - Balasinor, Gujarat
- National Rail Museum - New Delhi
- Indian Museum - Kolkata
- National Museum of Indian Cinema- Mumbai
- Symbiosis Society’s Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Museum and Memorial- Pune, India
Balasinor has been a point of interest for dinosaur enthusiasts around the world ever since dinosaur bones were accidentally discovered in the 1980s. It was later revealed that 65 million years ago, more than thirteen species of dinosaurs walked around Balasinor. One of the species of dinosaurs housed in this museum is India’s very own ‘Rajasaurus’. The museum has 10 galleries, along with exclusive 3-D film prepared on Rajasaurus, an Interactive and amusing Dino fun for kids area, a vivid display of Mesozoic times, a souvenir shop etc.
Introduced by the British in 1843, Railways are a part and parcel of many Indians. Many Indians depend upon these Railways to commute in their daily lives. However, Railways have gone through quite an evolution in the course of its runtime. The entire history of railways can be seen in the National Rail Museum in New Delhi. It has a fascinating collection of royal saloons, wagons, carriages, armoured trains, rail cars and a turntable. The museum also stores the Patiala State Mono Rail Tramway, which is perhaps the oldest form of mono railway, which was built in 1907. You can also enjoy toy train rides, 3D virtual coach rides, Diesel and Steam Simulators, or a meal at Rail Restaurant.
Indian Museum is the oldest museum of India, which was founded in 1814. The museum has various galleries related to history, coins, masks, animals, paintings, rocks, sculptures etc. It also has a 4000-year-old Egyptian Mummy, one of the six in India. It was a gift to the Asiatic Society from EC Archbold, a British officer and Lieutenant of the Light Cavalry of Bengal, in 1834. Even though the identity of the mummy is unknown, we do know that it is from the royal tombs at Gourvah on the western bank of the Nile at Luxor, Egypt.
Mumbai is known as the birthplace of Bollywood and Indian Cinema in general. Therefore it is fitting that Mumbai has the first museum dedicated to the evolution of Indian cinema. Visitors can expect to watch some of the earliest films over here like India’s first feature film, Raja Harishchandra by Dadasaheb Phalke. It has some of the older equipment of storytelling and has an entire section dedicated to the legendary Bengali film director, Satyajit Ray.
Honouring the legacy of Dr Ambedkar, one of the greatest Indians to have ever lived, this museum celebrates Babasaheb’s legacy. Maisaheb Ambedkar, Dr Ambedkar’s wife, personally donated some of his belongings to the museum to cherish the legacy of her husband. This museum has some of the personal belongings of Ambedkar including his violin, final resting bed, Asthi Kalash and a letter written by Dr.Ambedkar himself to Mahatma Gandhi.
However, if Pune is too far for you, you can visit Ambedkar National Memorial in Delhi, which has some exhibitions related to Dr Ambedkar.
We hope you enjoyed this article. Do tell us some of your favourite museums, located in India or Outside in the comment section down below.