Art works and artefacts, stamps, aircraft and even brain specimens: the variety of collectibles in Karnataka’s museums have explored the well-known and the bizarre. And, while the government-run museums enjoy a steady stream of visitors, there is a growing breed of connoisseurs who are turning their passion and interest into more than just a private collection.
These private museums that are open to the public have display items ranging from dolls to art to wax and sand and even entire houses. Run from their own homes most times, and with no admission fee, the owners play curators to their own collections, resulting in the need for visitors to take prior appointments in some cases.
This International Museum Day, The Hindu looks at some unique private initiatives.
A world of dolls
As many as 500 puppets permanently on display and another 10,000 traditional dolls on periodic, thematic exhibits! Dhaatu, in Banashankari, Bengaluru, lets people explore a world of dolls. Anupama Hoskere, director of Dhaatu, said the size of the dolls range from one inch to 11 feet. In addition to Indian dolls and puppets, there are about a 100 from Asia and Europe. From 1,200 visitors a month during summer vacations, the numbers go up to 10,000 during Navarathri.
The ‘write’ way
A collection of handwriting, calligraphy and writing instruments all under one roof. K.C. Janardhan’s 150-year-old home in Bengaluru’s Kalasipalya houses ‘J’s La Quill’, that offers a glimpse into a collection painstakingly accumulated over three decades. From nibs to ink bottles, quills to pens, rare books on calligraphy and handwriting to journals published from 1952, this house has it all. The unique museum has had its share of celebrity visitors since its establishment in 2016, but is inconspicuous otherwise.
Art out of sand
A “first-of-its-kind” museum in the State is a private initiative by a young sand artiste M.N. Gowri, who has conceived 16 themes and 150 sculptures using sand, all of which is spread over 13,500 sq ft on the way to Chamundi Hills. While a 15-ft Ganesha greets the visitor at the entrance, the sand sculpture museum has been embellished with another first in Karnataka – a 3D art work showcasing 17 3D art works to add to its growing repertoire.
Mysuru’s Madame Tussauds
The Melody World Wax Museum, which was established seven years ago, may as well turn be Mysuru’s counterpart to Madame Tussauds in London. With an increase in tourist footfall, it features 130 life-size statues of musicians playing various instruments. An initiative of Bengaluru-based engineer C.G. Bhaskar, the museum also has over 1,000 musical instruments.
A walk down centuries
A visit to the Hasta Shilpa Heritage Village, Manipal, the brainchild of renowned heritage conservationist and antique collector, the late Vijaynath Shenoy, is like walking down the centuries and understanding buildings, architecture and craftsmanship of those eras. Spread over seven acres, it was the result of Vijaynath Shenoy noticing how old buildings were being sold or dismantled for various reasons in the 1970s, that led to their conservation. As many as 28 buildings were relocated to the heritage village, established in 1998.
A token of love
Amulya Shodha, a museum established by Khandoba Rao, a retired history lecturer in Lakkinakoppa village near Shivamogga, as a token of love towards Yashoda, his deceased wife, has emerged as a tourist attraction now. A wide range of coins, copper plate inscriptions and palm leaves belonging to the age of Kalyani Chalukya, Vijayanagara, Keladi, and Alupa kingdoms are displayed at the museum, which is spread over two acres. Cooking accessories, wooden furniture, puja articles, lamps, earthen pots, cradles, large wooden boxes used to store food grains, and bullock carts that were once part of life in rural Malnad are also on display. “As both of us taught history, establishing a museum that stimulated interest among people towards history was an apt way to commemorate my wife,” Mr. Rao said.
