Birla Industrial and Technological Museum

Birla Industrial and Technological Museum is located at 19A, Gurusaday Road ( at the junction of Gurusaday Rd and Syed Amir Ali Avenue ) at south Kolkata.
Birla Industrial and Technological Museum was established in 1956. It was started by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. It was at the initiative of Dr. B.C. Roy, the then Chief Minister of West Bengal, that the House of Birlas donated the building and the adjoining plot of land. This originally belonged to Satyendranath Tagore, the elder brother of the great poet Rabindranath Tagore and was used for setting up a science museum. Since 1978 the museum has come under the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) an autonomous body, set up by the Union Ministry of Education & Culture to administer the museums which were formerly under the CSIR and to develop new science museums in the country. The primary objective of the museum is to arouse scientific curiosity and an understanding of science and technology among the common people, especially the student-community.

It has a large number of exhibits, designed, prepared and fabricated at its own workshop. Galleries cover models showing Electricity, Nuclear Physics, Iron and Steel, Optics, Motive Power, Communication and Mining. The Optics Gallery has since been converted into a Popular Science Gallery. Popular activities of the Museum include films shows, demonstration-lectures, hobby activities, periodical programs of sky-observation through telescopes. Runs several mobile units for the rural areas. Regional Science Museums at Malda and Purulia operate under this body. The museum also has a small 'animalorium' with live snakes, reptiles, rabbits, an aviary and aquariums.

Indian Museum The Kolkata Indian Museum established long back in 1814 in the Asiatic Society Building was founded by Dr. Nathaniel Wallich, a botanist from Denmark. It is one of the earliest museums established in the world and considered the largest and best museum in the country. In 1875, it was shifted to the new building in Italian architectural style designed by Walter B Grawille. Opened to public in 1878, the museum has over 60 galleries and is divided into six main sectors of Art, Anthropology, Archaeology, Geology, Industry and Zoology. The museum with 3 floors is spread out over an area of 930 sq.mts. It is an independent institution funded by the Government of India.

Spread on the Ist and II floor, the Art collection of the Indian Museum comprises of miniature paintings, textiles, decorative art objects from Asian countries -- China, Japan, Nepal, Tibet, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Java and Kampuchea. Muslin and Jamdani from Dhaka, Baluchari textile of Murshidabad, Phulkari of Punjab, Chamba rumal, Persian carpets, Kanthas of Bengal, ritual robes, wood carving, metal images, ivory, lacquerware, bronze, ornaments; Persian, Mughal, Rajasthani, Pahari, Deccani miniature paintings, manuscript illustrations of Western and Eastern India, Bengal school paintings, Nepalese and Tibetan temple banners.

The Archaeological Section displays stone-age artifacts from India and abroad, pre-historic antiquities from Mohenjodaro, Harappa, ranging from 2500 B.C to 1500 B.C, Sculptures belonging to all phases of history from the 4/5 century B.C the late mediaeval times; inscriptions on stones and copper, Indo-Muslim architectural pieces and a representative collections of Indian coins.

The extensive Geological Section has over 80,000 specimens, displayed in four galleries showing varieties of meteorites, precious stones, ornamental building stones, rocks and minerals and fossils.

M.P. Birla Planetarium
M.P. Birla Planetarium is adjacent to the Maidan, close to the crossing of Chowringhee and Theatre Road (the present Shakespeare Sarani).

The second largest of its kind in the world, this planetarium was opened for the spectators on 29th September 1962. Birla planetarium is a spectacular asset of modern Kolkata. It was constructed at a cost of a whopping two million rupees. The Planetarium has a capacity of 500 spectators.The planetarium is a single storeyed, circular structure constructed in pure Indian architectural style. The central dome has a diameter of 27m. shaped in imitation of the Buddhist Stupa at Sanchi. Interesting exhibits are the fine collections of paintings, celestial models and busts of famous astronomers that line the corridors. The gigantic planetarium projector accessories comprise of 29000 parts and combine to portray on the inner ceiling of the planetarium, the naked face of space, Stars, planets and heavenly bodies. The solar system is introduced to the spectators in English, Bengali and Hindi. Extra shows are arranged on holidays.

Academy of Fine Arts

Established in 1933 by Lady Ranu Mukherjee, the Academy hosts an impressive collection of miniature paintings, Indian textiles and sculptures. The Academy is a place where the city's culturally conscious intellectuals converge. It's art galleries feature exhibitions by contemporary artists throughout the year. The Rabindra gallery contains personal belongings, manuscripts and paintings by Tagore. The Academy also runs an Artists studio for the benefit of working artists.

The Academy of Fine Arts is one of the oldest and finest art society in the country. The ground floor houses eight galleries which is the largest gallery space in the India, display objects by artists and groups from all over India as well as abroad. The most enchanting galleries are as...

Rabindra Gallery' opened in 1962 contains original paintings, published and unpublished manuscripts in Bengali and English and personal belongings of Tagore. The Textile Gallery contains several exquisite specimens of hand-woven fabrics like dhakai, baluchari, patola, brocade, benarasi silk and jamewar shawls. The Carpet Gallery is rare, -as we do not think there is as yet in India a gallery exclus -ively for carpets -is from the Late T. L. Martin and other donors. There are authentic Mughal miniatures in the Miniatures Gallery.

The Contemporary Art Galleries boasts painting and sculptures of India from 1900 to till date which has a charming collection of Acharya Abanindranath Tagore and Gaganedra Nath Tagore, who was the first to introduce cubism in India. Abanindranath's popular disciples such as Nandalal Bose, Asit Kumar Haldar, Kshitin Mazum -dar , Samar Gupta and their disciples like Benod Behari Mukherjee, Sarada Ukil, Sudhir Khastagir, Ram Kinkar Beij and others are all represented here

Nehru Children's Museum
Established in 1972, named after the first prime minister of India, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, Nehru Children's Museum is a major attraction for children. Today when a child walks into the Museum, he walks into a world of treasure. It touches the imaginative mind and encourages him to know more. The exhibits in the museum which are spread over 4 floors, enable a child to take off to the world of epics, the world of science and to dream world. Till the mid 2001, more than 90 million adults and 1 million under-privileged children have stepped inside this Treasure World. The museum has on display puppets depicting the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. There are dolls wearing national costumes from different countries. Miniature working models of railway crossings and other novelties and an elementary science gallery.