Name: Bangalore
Rating: 3.0

Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum, Bangalore Overview

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. Designed on the theme of a “Science Museum”, the museum houses four floors dedicated to a scientific discipline each, with the topmost floor converted into a food court.

The outstanding deco of the depository has been inspired by the ancient scientific tools and machinery like Wright Brothers' Kitty Hawk, flying Stimulator and other similar objects. The backdrop shows surreal pictures and animations of changing the climate, various sea and land dynamics and different planetary positions. The centre has seven permanent gallery displays consisting of copious exhibits of a steam engine, aeroplanes, motor power etc. In addition to this, the museum has a virtual gaming zone, a tiny planetarium and a 3D visual display centre for recreation. The centre aims to promote the importance of science in everyday life by its interactive demonstrations and by conducting experiments.

Activities at Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum

In addition to exploring the several galleries and educating oneself on the marvels of science, you can have a wonderful experience in the newly built 3D Visual Display Theatre which runs informative and interesting documentaries on deep sea diving, different tides, solar and lunar eclipse, life in the deep sea, brain cells etc. Another fun activity to do is to witness the show called ‘Taramandal’ run at regular intervals in the planetarium. The museum also has fun games and activity especially designed for the kids. In the virtual gaming area, the youngster can play mock musical instrument, trick games and enjoy themselves in an all around learning environment.

Galleries at Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum

1. Engine Hall- The hall explains the mechanics involved behind the functioning of different machinery. It has various machinery parts of different automobiles, on display. In addition to that, it demonstrates the mechanism behind conservation of energy.
2. How Things Work Gallery- This gallery looks like a mini visual representation of a secondary physics book. It has demonstrations of pulleys, levers, inclined planes, different types of levers etc.
3. Electro Technical Gallery- As the name suggests, this gallery portrays exhibits functioning on properties of electricity, electronics and communication. It conducts demo experiments based on Oersted’s Principles, Barlow’s Wheel and Faraday’s Ring.
4. Space Emerging Technology in the service of Mankind- This showcases the human achievements in space and beyond. The gallery is backed by research from Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and is the very first science gallery in India dedicated to space technology.
5. Biotechnological Revolution- Several aspects, research and results of biotechnology are represented in this gallery.
6. Dinosaur Alive- One of the most fun bit of the museum lies here. This corridor houses a moving replica of Spinosaurus- a spine lizard dinosaur of the gone era.
7. Fun Science Gallery- This is basically constructed keeping the kids in mind. It has various games and puzzles based on the principles of fluids, math and other scientific phenomena.
8. Science for Children- It has different exhibits which help children learn science while playing activity games.

Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum Entry Ticket

General Visitors : INR 50
Organised school groups : INR 25
Organised Govt./Municipal school groups : INR 10
BPL Category on production of valid BPL card : INR 5

3D show for general public : INR 30
3D show for Organised school groups : INR 25
3D show for Govt./Municipal school groups: INR 10

Taramandal for general public : INR 10
Taramandal for Organised school groups : INR 10
Taramandal for Govt./Municipal school groups: : INR 10

SDL for general public : INR 10
SDL for Organised school groups : INR 10
SDL for Govt./Municipal school groups: INR 5

SOS (Science On A Sphere) for general public : INR 30
SOS for Organised school groups : INR 25
SOS for Govt./Municipal school groups: INR 10

Wright Brothers' Flyer Simulator for general public : INR 60
Wright Brothers' Flyer Simulator for Organised school groups : INR 60
Wright Brothers' Flyer Simulator for Govt./Municipal school groups: INR 60

Entry to the Museum is free for the army, navy, air-force and police personnel in uniform and the physically challenged and children below 5 years of age.

History of Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum

All India Manufacturers' Organisation, Mysore State Board, came up with the idea of a science museum in order to honour the Bharat Ratna recipient Sir M. Visvesvaraya, in Bangalore. The foundation stone being laid by the then Chief Minister of Bangalore- Shri B. D. Jatti on 15 September 1958, the museum was finally inaugurated on 14 July 1962 by the Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. In 1965, the gallery first became accessible for public use, the first theme being 'Electricity'.

In 1978, the museum came under the maintenance and management of National Council of Science Museum (NCSM). The following year, the building was modified and a new extension was added, increasing the total area to 74,000 sq. ft. Further in 1984, NCSM added three additional centres in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, while Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum continued to be the headquarters of NCSM.

How To Reach Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum

The museum is located in the heart of the city on Kasthurba Road, next to Supreme Court and High Court. You can choose to take the metro and get down at the nearest Cubbon Park metro station on the purple line. The museum is just 1 km away from the station; you can either walk down or take a local rickshaw. The museum can also easily be reached through booking a private taxi- cab. Alternatively, you can choose to travel in one of the public buses. The buses running on the route are 150, 154, 155, 291, 293 & 294C.