Magnificent Museums in Bangalore for History Enthusiasts

Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium in Bangalore is a popular attraction site in the city, administered by the Bangalore Association for Science Education (BASE). The entire establishment is meant for the science enthusiasts with an aim to impart knowledge of scientific aspects of earth and space in a fun and exciting way. From how stars form to how planets evolve, from the origin of life to human's space expeditions, from how gravity works to how eclipses happen - the planetarium tells it all.

HAL Aerospace Museum is one of the major public attractions of Bangalore. Inaugurated in 2001 at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited premises, the museum was established with an objective of educating the public about everything the journey of HAL, one of Asia's largest and most important aeronautical companies, had to offer - be it historical, scientific or academic. On the one hand, the museum proudly boasts of the giant leaps Indian aviation has taken, both commercially as well as in terms of defence; and on the other side, it gives the visitors an all-inclusive aerospace experience in the most effective environment possible.

Located on the Kasthurba Road in Bangalore, Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum was built in the honour of Bharat Ratna recipient Sir M Visvesvaraya. Spread over an area of 43000 sq. ft., the area is built in the sylvan surroundings of Cubbon Park and was inaugurated by the first Prime Minister of India- Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, in 1962. The first ever gallery exhibition displayed by the museum was based on the principles of “Electricity” and was open to public visit on the 27th of July, 1965.

Janapada Loka translates to 'Folk World', and as the name suggests, is dedicated to promoting, preserving and propagating the very vibrant folk art and culture. It is located in the Ramanagara District, just off 53 km from the Bengaluru - Mysore Highway. The Karnataka Janapada Parishath took up the initiative of establishing Janapada Loka, not only to conserve the slowly diminishing ar but to educate and inspire the generations with its poise, power and sheer beauty.

Located in the restored heritage Manikyavelu Mansion on 49 Palace Road Bangalore, National Gallery of Modern Art was inaugurated very recently on 18th of February, 2009. The main museum is situated in the Jaipur House, New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore being the subsequent branches of the same. Housing over 14,000 incredible works of contemporary and modern artists, the top notch collection include spectacular paintings and sculptures from Raja Ravi Verma, Jamini Roy, Amrita Sher-Gil, and Rabindranath Tagore. The premises, spread over an area of 3.5 acres boasts of lush green gardens with brightly blooming flowers and is a perfect blend of modern architectural designs and the poise of the past.

Established in 1865, the Government Museum, which is situated in Bangalore, is known to be one of the oldest and greatly visited museums (overseeing over 90,000 visitors annually) in India. This archaeological museum encompasses a wide area that consists of 18 galleries; one of which is the Venkatappa Art gallery that exhibits 600 beautiful paintings making it a must-visit for all art lovers. The Government Museum also hosts a rare and unique collection of geological and archaeological artefacts including sculptures, textiles, old jewellery, coins, and inscriptions.

Dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, Gandhi Bhavan was inaugurated in 1965 by Dr. S Radhakrishnan (the President of India at that time) with the aim of promoting teachings of Gandhiji. The site of this museum used to be the place where Gandhiji used to take strolls and currently it serves as the venue where meetings organized pertaining to Gandhian values are held. Some of the main attractions in this museum include the picture gallery (that sports his entire life in pictures), copies of original letters that were written by him, and placards with some of his famous quotes.

Situated on the first floor of the Bengaluru Post Office, Philatelic Museum is an extremely well-maintained museum that has an extensive collection of stamps of various countries from different time periods. This museum is especially a must-visit place for people that have an interest in philately as along with these plethoras of stamps, this place also has a collection of 600 books and magazines that visitors can read peacefully while sitting at the study table.

Proving to be a majestic place for those holding an unduly interest in human body parts, NIMHANS Brain Museum in Bengaluru gives its visitors a chance to touch and feel various parts of the human body. A host to 400 brains kept in see-through plastic jars and exhibiting various brain infections, head injuries, brain tumors, and lungs of a smoker, among other fascinating attractions, this museum is not for people with a weak heart as these parts often make some visitors squeamish!