A museum of kites and a museum of money and a museum of the human brain… have you been to these unusual museums?
1. Losel Doll Museum
The Losel Doll Museum boasts of the largest collection of Losel Dolls in the world.
These colourful collector’s dolls are handcrafted by the monks of Drepung Loseling Monastery.
Every doll is crafted from papier-mâché, wire, fine clay and tailor-made clothes.
There have been many showings of these Losel Dolls all around the world and several museums have purchased collections of these dolls for permanent display.
Entry fee: Rs 5 (Indian Visitors) Rs. 20 (Foreign Visitors)
Location: Norbulingka Institute of Tibetan Culture in Dharamsala,( approximately 33 km from Palampur), Himachal Pradesh
Timing: 9:30 am to 5:30 pm on all days of the week
2. RBI Monetary Museum
Reserve Bank of India’s RBI Monetary Museum is the first of its kind in the country.
Inaugurated in 2004 by APJ Abdul Kalam, the museum is home to currency that dates back to 6th century BC.
Entry fee: Free
Location: Ground floor, Amar Building, Sir Phirozesha Mehta Road, Fort, South Mumbai
Timing: 10:00 am to 5:30 pm on all days except Mondays
3. Mayong Central Museum and Emporium
Mayong is known to be the world’s black magic capital or as the land of black magic and witchcraft.
Mayong or Mayang is derived from the Sanskrit word, maya which means illusion.
Location: Mayang, Marigaon District, Assam
4. Paldi Kite Museum
Bhanu Shah, Ahmedabad’s Kite Man, donated his entire kite collection of 50 years to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation to start a kite museum at Sanskar Kendra.
The first-of-its kind museum in India and second in the world with some of the rarest art kites.
Some of the highlights of the museum include 22X16 feet-large kite, another one made of 400 pieces of paper and even others with mirrorwork among others.
Entry fee: Free
Location: Sanskar Kendra, Paldi, Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Timing: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM on all days except Monday
5. Arna Jharna (Museum of Brooms)
The museum of brooms was a vision of the Late Komal Kothari, a folklorist who invested a large part of his life building it.
His aim was to understand the importance of this underrated object of daily use and the craft that is involved in making them.
There are over 100 types of brooms collected from all over Rajasthan handmade by the local women.
The exhibition boasts of local knowledge and creativity.
Location: Village Moklawas, Jodhpur, Rajasthan 342006
6. Sudha Cars Museum
This is the world’s first and only wacky car museum and is home to several handmade vehicles.
Started by one K Sudhakar who holds the Guinness record for making the world’s largest tricycle, the museum has several vintage cars that date back to World War II
Entry fee: Rs. 30 for Adults and Rs. 15 for children
Location: 19-5-15/1/D, Bahadurpura X-Road, Near Zoo Park, Hyderabad – 64, Andhra Pradhesh
Timing: 9:30 AM – 6:30 PM on all days of the week
7. Sulabh International Museum Of Toilets
The Sulabh International Museum was established in by Dr Bindeshwar Pathak in order to highlight the issue of basic sanitation in India.
The exhibits are arranged in three categories: ancient, medieval and modern.
There are toilets collected from around 50 countries and has artefacts from 3000 BC to the 21st century.
It has been voted as one of the top ten weird museums of the world.
Some of the interesting or rather amusing objects include a commode that looks like a treasure chest, gold and silver pots from the Roman era, jokes on toilet humour and several other informative pieces that will leave you stunned.
Entry fee: Free
Location: Sulabh Bhawan, Palam Dabri Marg, Mahavir Enclave, Palam, New Delhi, DL 110045
Timing: 10:30 am to 5:30 am on all days except on Indian national holidays
8. National Rail Museum
If trains are your thing, head to New Delhi’s National Museum which houses the Fairy Queen, the oldest operational steam locomotive as well as The Saloon, which was built especially for the Prince of Wales during his visit to India in 1875-76.
The museum is spread across 10 acres with both indoor and outdoor exhibits and an elaborate tour of the museum will take you anywhere between two to three hours.
If that sounds exhausting hop on to the toy train that takes you around the sprawling property.
Entry fee: Rs. 10
Location: Shanti Path, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, Delhi 110021
Timing: 9:30 am to 5:30 pm on all days except Monday
9. Antarang – Sexual Health Information Art Gallery
This gallery, also known as Antarang Museum, is dedicated for understanding and educating the youth about the human body, sexuality and various sexually transmitted diseases.
It was founded in Mumbai in 2002 as the only museum of its kind in South Asia.
Entry fee: Free
Location: Kamathipura, Mumbai
10. Calico Museum of Textiles
The Calico Museum is one of the oldest textile museums in the world.
Inaugurated in 1949 by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, it has an amazing research and publication department that has helped the sustenance of the museum. There are embroidered pieces of art from various corners of India that have been preserving the cultural heritage of those areas. Garments from the Mughal and Provincial courts, various regional techniques, instruments used for printing, weaving and stitching are some of the types of exhibits in the museum
Entry fee: free
Location: The Retreat, Opposite Under Bridge, Shahibagh, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 380004
Timing: 10:15 am to 12:30 pm and 2:45 am to 4:30 pm on all days except Wednesday
11. Shivalik Fossil Park Museum
Asia’s largest fossil park is located near Shivalik Hills where several fossils have been curated and exhibited.
There are life-size figures of at least six extinct mammals in the outdoor museum and the museum works at creating public interest and facilitating research by international researchers.
Location: Suketi, Sirmaur District, Himachal Pradesh
12. The Human Brain Museum
This museum is a part of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS).
It was set up in order to help the visitors have a look at the human brain and comprehend how it functions.
There are seminars and guest speakers who address people who have keen interest in the subject.
The museum is home to over 600 human brain samples that have been collected over 30 years of research and study at the institute.
And yes you can also list yourself as a brain donor here.
Location: Hosur Road, SR Krishnappa Garden, Hombegowda Nagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560029
Timing: Open to visitors only on Saturdays from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
