Most Unusual Museums In India

Sri Rallabandi Subba Rao museum finds merit for its nondescript entity as nearby people are oblivious of this treasure trove of antiquity. Located on the banks of Godavari it is well ensconced from the public view. The Museum has a good range of outdoor exhibitions of sculptures, well-preserved palm leaf manuscripts, a number of stone inscriptions, ancient and medieval coins. Making it one of the most remarkable small museums not only in Andhra Pradesh but the whole of India.

Kaladhungi Museum aka Jim Corbett Museum located in Kaladhungi is a place associated with the famed hunter turned conservationist Jim Corbett. The museum housing some of the memorabilia associated with him is in the same Bungalow where he lived once. The articles include his personal effects, rare photographs, paintings, personal letters, original manuscripts, period furniture.

The Museum of Toilets located in Palam, New Delhi is an unusual museum of its kind in India. Conceptualized and started by Mr. Bindheshwar Pathak an international expert on sanitation, it traces the evolution of toilets from 2500 BC to modern times. On display are various types of Toilets and photographs of designs around the world. It is not just a simple museum but part of a program to educate people about the importance of sanitation as well as providing cheap sanitation solutions.

Wax Museum, Baywatch, A Desi version of the London’s famous Madame Tussauds wax museum, it is located inside Baywatch amusement Park in Kanyakumari. You can see and get photographed alongside the celebrity of your choice. Some of the statutes here resemble original personalities closely while others can be termed as only `poor copies`. The celebrities here include Manmohan Sigh, Amitab Bachchan, executed ex-President of  Iraq Saddam Hussein, Mother Theresa, Tamil superstars like Rajanikanth, Mohan Lal, Tamil Nadu’s former CM J. Jayalalitha

National Rail Museum located in Moti Bagh, New Delhi is a one-of-its-kind museum in Asia. Spread over 11 acres, the museum has a wide and varied collection. The collection consists of antique steam locomotives, records, carriages,  models,  photographs, coat of arms, documents, saloons etal.  Both live exhibits as well as working/non-working models can be found. An added attraction is a toy train running around on its grounds.

Jawahar Toy Museum is located near Gandhi Maidan next to the old lighthouse on Goubert Avenue. It is a  treasure house for children with an excellent collection of costume dolls representing the various Indian states. All the dolls are neatly labeled and dressed in colorful attires. Other attractions include a little fairyland with a tiny Ganesh which lords over all the proceedings.

The Archaeological Museum at  Lothal near Ahmedabad throws light on a very important facet on the history of our civilization. The museum displays artifacts recovered from the excavation conducted from 1952 to 1961 shows evidence that Harappan culture was flourishing in modern Gujarat before the birth of Jesus Christ. The displayed objects include beads, terracotta ornaments, painted potteries, animal and human figurines, potteries, bronze tools.

Situated in Ahmedabad Calico Museum of Textiles is one of the best Textile museums in the world. It is located within the impressive precincts of Sarabhai House. It has a remarkable and well-labeled collection of fabrics through different centuries. In the various galleries are located traditional textile artifacts sourced from all over India. There is a Religious Textiles gallery, historical textiles gallery making this unusual museum a popular attraction of Ahmedabad.

Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum located in the old city of Pune near Shaniwarwada Palace houses nearly 2,000 utensils and objects d`art comprising stone, metal, wood, and earthenware of daily use with neat cataloging, culled from the remotest corners of the country. What makes this collection unusual is that Kelkar was an ordinary man of humble means. He used his income, sold off his wife`s jewelry to collect all the most unusual items. Rare feet indeed.

A 3.5 hours journey from Hyderabad takes one to probably the only island museum in the world, that is located in the midst of the Nagarjuna Sagar lake. Incidentally, Nagarjuna Sagar Dam is claimed to be the world`s largest masonry weir while the lake is supposed to be the 3rd largest man-made lake. In this unique island museum, given the shape of a  Buddhist Vihara, are housed a mind-boggling range of relics of Buddhist art and culture including a small tooth and an ear-ring believed to be that of Shakyamuni Buddha.