“Small acts multiplied with people can transform the world.” – Howard Zinn
Museums serve as grand storehouses of curiosity with trails of heritage dating back to the
beginning of time itself. They have been shapeshifters, silent spectators and at times first-hand
witnesses of the drastic tides in world history.
The history of the origin of Indian museums may have begun with an initiative to develop our
heritage and culture, but the modern perspective of history took a new turn in the 21stcentury.
Breaking the shackles of colonial museums and the narrative of post-independence nation-building, museums have evolved into spaces for community building in various ways.
India is a mythical land whose royal palaces and grand temples simply take your breath away.
We are diverse in every possible way- our people, our landscape, and even the flora and fauna.
What makes it more interesting is our diversity even in our museums. The most interesting,
unique, and intriguing museums are scattered all through the country, and many are not aware
of them.
A museum is many things- a repository of cultural artifacts, preserved memories, and a
knowledge bank worth a million tales. Indian Museums are remembered for their collective
narratives and for preserving the knowledge with powerful and engaging storytelling.
From interesting science museums to illuminating historical hotspots, our county is known for
offering exclusive collections and intriguing artifacts.
While a trip to a museum is rarely on one’s itinerary, here are some unique places that you
need to visit if you are ever in the neighborhood.
INS Kurusura Submarine Museum, Visakhapatnam is the first submarine tuned museum in
the whole of Asia and the second in the World. Launched by the Eastern Naval Command, it
was used to spread awareness about the Indian Naval Forces, the technology used, and its
development in India.
INS Kurusura, India’s fifth submarine played an important role in 1971 during the Indo-Pak
war and participated in numerous naval exercises and goodwill visits. Situated on RK Beach,
this Russian-built submarine of the Indian Navy turned into a museum in 2001 narrates the
story of its evolution and milestones through artifacts, photographs, and written scripts. It
showcases the life inside a submarine and the hardships faced by the submariners in the se
Lothal, ‘the mound of the dead’, was a thriving port of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization
4500 years ago. The oldest artificial dock in the world, Lothal was believed to be a part of a
major river system on the ancient trade route from Sindh to Saurashtra in Gujarat.
The Archaeological Museum of Lothal contains exhibits excavated from the Harappan site
and speaks of the rich glory of one of the first modern civilizations of the world. The museum
has over 800 interesting articles and artifacts, including bronze and copper mirrors, beautifully
painted potteries, toy bullock carts, beads, intricate jewelry, and many objects made with stone,
chert, shell, and bone. The most vibrant artifacts on display include terracotta figures from
Sumeria and articles from Egypt.
The Remember Bhopal Museum is a survivor-led effort at collecting, archiving, and exhibiting
memories of the experience of the communities affected by the aftermath of the world’s worst
industrial disaster. India’s first people’s museum, this community-owned space, and the
artifacts displayed serve as the remnants of the survivors of the Bhopal gas tragedy.
The visitor is not just a witness to the colossal catastrophe framed within the lens of the state’s
failure to dispense justice but also a participant-activist who tells the story of her survival. This
alternate museum aims at creating a close collaboration between the museum and its visitors.
Money is an intrinsic component of the cultural heritage of a country. India was one of the
earliest issuers of coins in the world and has been home to many-monetary experiments in
recorded history. The Monetary Museum at Mumbai is the first of its kind in the country.
The museum has been set up to document and preserve India’s monetary heritage and present
it to the public. A significant repository of this heritage, it intends to encourage research into
the evolution of money from ancient and medieval India to its modern times.
It feels as if the whole place oozes the past glory of our country. For those, who love to know
about our country and its various historical aspects, a visit to this museum won’t disappoint at
all. Founded in 1814, by the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Indian Museum is the largest and oldest
museum in India.
Popularly known as ‘Jadughar’, it has the finest collection of contemporary paintings, sacred
relics of Buddha, Egyptian mummies, and ancient sculptures. In addition to these, the museum
boasts some of the most exquisite collections of ornaments, fossils, skeletons, antiques,
armours, and stunning Mughal paintings. With its splendid collection, the museum takes you
back in time to witness our fascinating past.
Sudha Cars Museum is your pit stop if you are all whacky and crazy about cars. Located in
Hyderabad, this museum is the brainchild of Mr. Sudhakar who is famous for the Guinness
World Record for creating the world’s largest Tricycle for the first time in the world.
The museum displays cars in the shape of a camera, a book, a sofa set, a purse, shoes, etc. Each
vehicle has an informative plaque that details the vehicle’s make, the speed capacity, and the
time taken to manufacture the piece.
Walk around this hut-like museum and it seems like you are traveling back in time! Built in
1981, by architect Mr. Surender C. Patel VECHAAR (Vishalla Environmental Centre for
Heritage of Art, Architecture, and Research) Utensils Museum preservesthe rare artistic skills
and cultural heritage of Indian craftsmen. The museum houses over 4,000 utensils, from 1,000-
year-old jugs to modern glass utensils, and covers every type of metal from bronze and brass
to German silver. The display explains how these utensils have evolved in different periods of
history as a result of man’s changing needs and environment.
We are what we eat, and YK antiques home museum reflects those cultural practices that
shaped us. A walk around this quaint place makes one’s heart skip a beat, marveling at the
inimitable beauty of these utensils of old. One of its kind, it shelves a priceless collection of
900+ antiques that narrate the story of our cultural evolution, the human need to create, and
the skill of crafting something beautiful, yet utilitarian.
Ranging from cooking utensils to items of décor and everyday use, all antiques are part of a
personal collection and have been acquired from various parts of India over the last 50+ years.
Every piece has an intriguing story- the story of its maker, the collector, and the saga of its
arrival for display.
YK antiques home museum is a private collection turned museum that strives to keep the tales
of antiques alive. Committed to telling the tales of the bygone times to our future generations,
they strongly believe that the antiques are reliable witnesses of our culture and documents of our
tradition.
They are thriving to sustain our tradition with the antiques collected by YK and adding them to
the bucket of India’s unique museums would be another enthralling experience for all those who
seek to wander away in the land of interesting stories.
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