Bhopal, the capital city of Madhya Pradesh is one of the greenest cities of the country. Founded in the early 18th century, it was initially ruled by the Nawabs of Bhopal and has a lot of heritage structure that are built in a mix of Indo-Islamic and European styles and consequently quite suited to house museums.
The City Of Lakes should really be named the city of Museums with close to 10 museums in it. Here we are going to be talking about 6 top Museums you should visit this holiday season.
1. Madhya Pradesh Tribal Museum
No visit to Bhopal is complete without a visit to the Tribal Museum – One of a Kind, this museum has excellent displays of tribal life in Madhya Pradesh - displays of the tribal culture, housing, arts and crafts. Opened in 2013 - Seven major tribes of Madhya Pradesh have recorded their fast disappearing traditions here. Tribal artistes recast myth and life in amazing visuals, out of traditional materials like wood, iron, jute, mud, clay, straw, hemp and leaves, as well as canvas, acrylic and glass making intricate and well-constructed displays.
2. Yodhasthal
Number two on the list is the Yodhasthal – A free entry museum with antique weapons, Yodhasthal is a Know your Army establishment. With a park embellished with war trophies, a rock climbing facility for adventure seekers this museum has all. It provides an insight into the nation's pride, the Indian army, its stories of valor and its achievements
3. Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya or National Museum of Mankind or Museum of Man
An anthropology museum that presents an integrated story of the evolution of man and culture with special reference to India, The National Museum of Mankind is spread over an area of about 200 acres. A multifaceted museum it covers a wide range like heritage, living styles, time periods, utensils, tools, weapons, construction styles etc.
4. State Museum of Madhya Pradesh
The State Museum is the treasure trove of antiquities – Filled with exhibits like coins, excavated artifacts like terracotta articles, sculpture, and paintings of the most significant historical sites around the region. Retrieved from various excavated sites, the collection is devoted to archeology. One of the well-known exhibits include the samples of the beautiful carvings of Khajuraho's romantic couples.
5. Remember Bhopal Museum
The Bhopal gas tragedy or the Bhopal disaster is considered to be the world’s worst industrial disaster. Remember Bhopal Museum is the collection of memories from that awful night – December 2- 3, 1984; the gas leak at the UCIL pesticide plant. It is split into five sections - Trauma Room, Health Room, Anderson Wall, Toxic Water Wall, Compensation Room and the Movement Room and has at least 50 original audio recordings of gas survivors, doctors on duty, the forensic expert who conducted mass autopsies and those who survived the tragedy. Visit this Museum to see the consequences
6. Birla Museum
A temple that also plays part as a museum, the Birla Museum has a small but selective display of fine stone sculpture, informatively displayed with explanatory panels in English in the main galleries, most of them seventh to 12th century statues. It also has a good selection of archaeological finds from excavations.