Shembaganur Museum Of Natural History, Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu | History Opening Timing, Entry timing and Fee Details,distance,

Shembaganur Museum Of Natural History, Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu | History Opening Timing, Entry timing and Fee Details,distance,

 

Shembaganur Museum of Natural History :

Shenbaganur Museum is a place is Located at a distance of 5.6 Km from the Kodaikanal Lake, the museum is one of the best orchidoriums in the country. This 123-year old museum is one of the best tourist attraction in Kodaikanal for the people who love to spend some time in the lap of history along with serenity.

It is now maintained by the Sacred Heart College – Theological Seminary which was founded in year of 1895. The Museum came into its present being because of the efforts of a Spanish Father E. Ugarthe. He took control in 1951 from its creator A. Anglade.

A compilation of past collections along with of butterflies, moths and birds by teams of students was initiated. A brief description of the museum’s assets was given by Ugarte in the year of 1963 which has been published as 'A Museum of the Palanis'. Before this, there was a record called 'The Botanical inventory in the Museum' which was by Father KM Mathew in 1954.

Major holdings of the museum can be divided into categories of Anthropology, Flora & Fauna and Handicrafts. The museum has a herbarium which has almost 2500 varieties of plants along with a huge garden.

There are nearly 300 species of trees and flower plants in the Orchidorium with a compilation of a variety of butterflies, snakes, mammals, and moths. One will also find two paper mache assistance maps one out of which will present the whole range of Palani and the other will introduce you with the idea of natural formations,

economic developments, and geological characteristics in and around the city. In case you are planning a trip to Kodaikanal, the Shembaganur Museum Of Natural History is definitely worth visiting. It is going to offer you a lot of historical information along with providing a pleasant view of a variety of plants.

Today, there are more than 5000 species of local wildlife exhibited in the Shenbaganur museum, not all of which exist in the wild any more, according to Father Stanislaus Rathinam, caretaker of the museum.

‘Occasionally, a lorry or truck driver would hit an animal and they would bring it here,’ he says. ‘This is how some of the first exhibits of the museum came to be, including that bearskin you see on the wall, which was given to us in 1947. And that skeleton is from a tiger that was shot by the brothers at the seminary.’

For the past 12 years, the museum has been under his watch, and he summarises its contents with careful attention to detail. There are more than 200 butterfly species from the Palani Hills on display — beautiful, fragile, and curiously formed — including the great yellow minos, the common map and the oakleaf. Over 200 exhibits of local birds can also be found here,

such as the red-whiskered bulbul, the black bulbul and the Travancore laughing thrush, supplemented by a collection of bird eggs — white, blue, and speckled. The museum has a considerable collection of mammals, some of which are displayed in a diorama, the focal point in the building.

Pride of place goes to the gaur, or Indian bison, of course. Other animals endemic to the area, like the sambar deer, otter, jackal, flying squirrel and civet, are exhibited as well. Skins of sloth bears, tigers (and, curiously, that of an Alsatian dog) hang stretched on the walls.

Visiting this museum is a rite of passage for those who have grown up in Kodai. As a local activity, it’s right up there beside seeing a bison in the forest, walking around the lake, or complaining about tourists. Many locals visit the museum as children, and as adults, we point out the turning for the building to friends when we drive up and down the ghat.

As a young student, I remember being driven down to the museum in our yellow school bus. The building is 20 feet high and 2200 feet long, constructed from stone and red mud and painted yellow. The roof is covered with British iron sheets, supported by wooden beams.

Indoors, a distinctive, musty smell lingers in the air. Old wood-and-glass display cases lined the walls, stretching up to the ceiling, carrying inside them an immaculate inventory of Kodai’s birds and beasts, their skeletons, feathers and skins, as well as jar upon jar of snakes suspended in alcohol — ghosts of their former selves.

The butterflies and beetles, on the other hand, were almost alive with colour. To a little girl in pigtails, the museum was as charming and magical as anything in fiction.

Shenbaganur Museum Kodaikanal Timings : 10:00 am – 11:30 am ,3:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Shenbaganur Museum Kodaikanal Entry fee :  Rs 5.

Closing days - Weekly Close Days : Thursday

Shenbaganur Museum Kodaikanal Phone :

04542 241 201

Shenbaganur Museum Kodaikanal Address : Lake Father Ugarthe, Kodaikanal, Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, 624101, India

How To Reach Shembaganur Museum :

The Shembaganur Museum of Natural History is situated at a distance of 6 km from the Kodaikanal bus stand and is easily accessible. It can be reached with the help of public transport like an auto rickshaw or a taxi.

Previous Post - https://travelguideplan.blogspot.com/2022/08/pambar-fallsliril-falls-fairy.html

Older Post - https://travelguideplan.blogspot.com/2022/08/kodaikanal-solar-observatory-entrance.html