Birla Industrial & Technological Museum
Birla Industrial & Technological Museum
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Tags : Museum
Timings : 10:00 AM - 5:30 PM (Closed on Doljatra and Kalipuja)
Time Required : 2-3 hrs
Entry Fee : General- INR 30,
Group of 25 people or more- INR 25,
School groups- INR 20,
Government School groups- INR 10
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Birla Industrial & Technological Museum, Kolkata Overview
Being the first scientific and industrial museum in India, Birla Industrial and Technological Museum (BITM) is one of the prime attractions of Kolkata and is located on the Gurusaday Road. The museum was set up on 2nd May 1959 and opened to the general public. It was initially known as Birla Park and within three years of its opening was converted into a museum. The palatial structure of museum has led to it becoming a famous tourist attraction famous for its galleries and 3D shows organized in the premises.
Birla Park was transformed into BITM under the influence of Dr B.C. Roy, who in the year 1956 felt that a developing nation like India needed museums in its vicinity. Therefore, the property was handed over to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru by G.D. Birla to set up the museum which took nearly three years to complete. BITM is also the pioneer of the Mobile Science Exhibition which was the first exhibition on wheels. With its galleries, diverse activities and the growing chains of the satellite centres, this museum is now the place where science manifests itself through means of interactive and animated models. It is an amazing place and a must-visit for all the science lovers out there!
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History of Birla Industrial and Technological Museum
Birla Industrial and Technological Museum goes back to the time when the original building was owned by the Tagores and Meera Devi. The fourth child of Rabindranath Tagore spent a lot of time of her childhood in this building. Later, in the year 1919, this property was sold off by Surendranath Tagore to G.D. Birla who then converted the building to Birla Park.
This house was then rebuilt and reconstructed by the hired architects N. Guin and Co. and was turned into what we see it today. However, it remained a special address and imminent personalities including Pandit Mohan Malaviya, and Mahatma Gandhi visited the park. In 1956, the then Chief Minister of West Bengal, Dr BC Roy thought of constructing a science museum in the country to help in the development of technology and industry. Sri GD Birla, who handed over the place to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru assisted him in his idea.
This entire transformation of the place from a park to a museum took nearly 3 hours and then finally on 2nd May 1959, the Birla Industrial and Technological Museum was opened by Professor H. Kabir, the union minister in the presence of Dr BC Roy, Sri BM Birla, and Prof. MS Thakur. The museum is situated on Gurusaday Dutta Road, Kolkata which was formerly known as Ballygaunge Store Road in 1919.
This house was then rebuilt and reconstructed by the hired architects N. Guin and Co. and was turned into what we see it today. However, it remained a special address and imminent personalities including Pandit Mohan Malaviya, and Mahatma Gandhi visited the park. In 1956, the then Chief Minister of West Bengal, Dr BC Roy thought of constructing a science museum in the country to help in the development of technology and industry. Sri GD Birla, who handed over the place to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru assisted him in his idea.
This entire transformation of the place from a park to a museum took nearly 3 hours and then finally on 2nd May 1959, the Birla Industrial and Technological Museum was opened by Professor H. Kabir, the union minister in the presence of Dr BC Roy, Sri BM Birla, and Prof. MS Thakur. The museum is situated on Gurusaday Dutta Road, Kolkata which was formerly known as Ballygaunge Store Road in 1919.
Facilities at Birla Industrial and Technological Museum
Many facilities are offered to the tourists flocking in to enjoy the beauty of the museum. A vast library has been set up inside which comprises of a variety of books, journals, CDs, and movies in the field of Science & Technology. An auditorium which is fully air-conditioned is also present within the museum and offers a seating capacity of 210 people. Many shows and programs are organized for students as well as adults visiting the museum.
Some other facilities include AC conference room, a hall for showcasing exhibits and a cafeteria. There were galleries on electricity, nuclear physics, motive power, copper, iron, and steel initially but now, there are galleries on mining, communication, mathematics, transport, electronics, TV, popular science and fascinating physics. There is a mock-up underground coal mine in the premises as well which was set up in 1983 and is popular even today.
Some other facilities include AC conference room, a hall for showcasing exhibits and a cafeteria. There were galleries on electricity, nuclear physics, motive power, copper, iron, and steel initially but now, there are galleries on mining, communication, mathematics, transport, electronics, TV, popular science and fascinating physics. There is a mock-up underground coal mine in the premises as well which was set up in 1983 and is popular even today.
Galleries at Birla Industrial and Technological Museum
Fascinating Physics Gallery
There are 28 exhibits on mechanics, light, electromagnetic waves and gravitation in the Classical Physics section of the gallery. The microcosm of subatomic particles and the super cool region near the absolute zero temperature are all present in the modern physics section of the gallery. There are 38 exhibits displayed which have attractive visuals, animations, video, unmanned quiz, multimedia and other techniques to enhance one's experience.
Transport Gallery
A gallery on transportation was opened to the public on the pre-golden Jubilee year of the institute in 2008-2009. Comprising of more than 50 exhibits and spread over 500 square kilometres, the gallery shows the evolution of the wheel to the supersonic jet engines. This gallery showcases the development of transport system in water, on land or in the air which has added some new dimensions to the human life altogether.
Motive Power Gallery
The rising need for power forced man to make use of the animal power, wind power, water power to increase his physical strength is what this gallery depicts. It can be seen even today in the modern day engines and diesel. The most recent sources of power along with the future projections are present in the gallery.
Life science Gallery
This gallery tries to bring out the science of life via some exhibits which are both living and non-living. It shows how human existence thrived on the planet through ages and all the diversity on the three major habitats which can be offered including water, land, and air.
Children's Gallery
The Children's Gallery was inaugurated by BITM on 14th November 2012 by Dr ShashiPanja, the member of the legislative assembly of West Bengal. There are many sections in this gallery which is spread over an area of 4000 square feet. These include the kid zone, learning zone, fun zone, play zone, mirror zone, ride zone, and assembly zone where children can unfold their imagination while they play around and experiment with the objects present there.
There are 28 exhibits on mechanics, light, electromagnetic waves and gravitation in the Classical Physics section of the gallery. The microcosm of subatomic particles and the super cool region near the absolute zero temperature are all present in the modern physics section of the gallery. There are 38 exhibits displayed which have attractive visuals, animations, video, unmanned quiz, multimedia and other techniques to enhance one's experience.
Transport Gallery
A gallery on transportation was opened to the public on the pre-golden Jubilee year of the institute in 2008-2009. Comprising of more than 50 exhibits and spread over 500 square kilometres, the gallery shows the evolution of the wheel to the supersonic jet engines. This gallery showcases the development of transport system in water, on land or in the air which has added some new dimensions to the human life altogether.
Motive Power Gallery
The rising need for power forced man to make use of the animal power, wind power, water power to increase his physical strength is what this gallery depicts. It can be seen even today in the modern day engines and diesel. The most recent sources of power along with the future projections are present in the gallery.
Life science Gallery
This gallery tries to bring out the science of life via some exhibits which are both living and non-living. It shows how human existence thrived on the planet through ages and all the diversity on the three major habitats which can be offered including water, land, and air.
Children's Gallery
The Children's Gallery was inaugurated by BITM on 14th November 2012 by Dr ShashiPanja, the member of the legislative assembly of West Bengal. There are many sections in this gallery which is spread over an area of 4000 square feet. These include the kid zone, learning zone, fun zone, play zone, mirror zone, ride zone, and assembly zone where children can unfold their imagination while they play around and experiment with the objects present there.
Tips For Visiting Birla Industrial & Technological Museum
1. Maintain discipline inside the museum and do not touch the models put on display on the premises without permission.
3. There is a combo ticket available at the museum which includes the entry fee for the coal mine, 3D show and science show.
4. The top floor of the museum houses a canteen selling snacks and drink. You can try the Bengali thali here.
5. Don't miss the Liquid Nitrogen show which is one of the best shows the museum has to offer.
3. There is a combo ticket available at the museum which includes the entry fee for the coal mine, 3D show and science show.
4. The top floor of the museum houses a canteen selling snacks and drink. You can try the Bengali thali here.
5. Don't miss the Liquid Nitrogen show which is one of the best shows the museum has to offer.
How To Reach Birla Industrial Technological Museum
Located on Gurusaday Road of Kolkata, the Birla Industrial and Technological Museum is easily traceable and hence can be reached by any public or private transportation like bus, autorickshaw or taxi.
There is ample parking space available at the museum. So, you can even drive down there in a private vehicle.
There is ample parking space available at the museum. So, you can even drive down there in a private vehicle.
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Birla Industrial�& Technological Museum Reviews
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Sinorita Naskar
on Birla Industrial & Technological Museum 6 years ago
BITM as it is popularly known as, is somewhat similar to Science City, Kolkata, except that it is much smaller and cheaper. We had purchased a package ticket that covered a 3d show, chemical reaction (Read More)s show and coal mine show. The chemical reactions show was fun, and despite not being a science student, I did not face any difficulty in understanding as everything was vividly explained. The mock coal mine is one of a kind and was the best part of the day for me. One should never miss it if they are visiting this place. Apart from these, we explored the various other galleries also. There is a cafeteria but there are not many options, only Bengali thaalis, so we opted for lunch outside.
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