Shembaganur Museum, Kodaikanal
Shembaganur Museum of Natural History, 6 kilometres
(3.7 mi) from the bus-stand, founded in 1895, is open to the public
(except Tuesdays) for viewing their outstanding taxidermy collection of more
than 500 species of animals, birds and insects and a living collection of over
300 exotic orchid species. The museum is affiliated with Loyola College in Chennai and exhibits artifacts of the
ancient Palaiyar tribe’s people
whose descendants still live in these hills.
Bring along your kids for a wonderful learning
experience—they will be surely amazed to see varied specimens of moths, snakes,
butterflies and mammals. This museum comes packaged with a herbarium and a
beautiful garden.
Location
The Shembaganur Museum of Natural History is located at
a short distance from the renowned Kodaikanal Lake. Lying along the Kodaikanal
road, this museum is maintained by a theological institute, Sacred Heart
College. Located at a distance of 6 km from the Kodaikanal bus station, this
museum is easily accessible.
History
The Shembaganur Museum is maintained by sacred heart
college, a theological institution formed in 1895. A vacation to the museum is
a must for people touring Kodaikanal. The Shembaganur Museum has got a
compilation of numerous specimens of butterflies, moths, snakes and mammals.
Anthropologists will be pleased to have a glimpse of many photographs and
models of dolmens tombs and funeral urns of pre historic people of Palani
Hills.
There is a herbarium too, having more than 2500 plants
and a huge garden. Also the museum has one of the best orchidoriums in India,
having close to 300 species of trees and flower gardens. The two gardens have
trees of unique scientific significance. There is a collected works of 300
varieties of timber, in addition to illustrations of plants of Palani Hills.
The Shembaganur museum has two outsized papier mache
assistance maps, one casing the entire Palani range, and the other showing
Kodaikanal and its backdrop giving a clear broad idea of all the natural
formations, geological characteristics and economical developments in and
around Kodai. All the streams, roads, rock formations, waterfalls, the lake,
the shola forests, etc., of the entire Palani Hills area seen noticeably on
these relief maps.
The present Shembaganur museum at Kodaikanal is the
effort of E. Ugarte who took control in 1951 from A. Anglade, the creator. He
put the past collections together and initiated a substantial compilation of
butterflies, moths and birds by teams of students. In 1963 Ugarte gave a
concise description of the Shembaganur museum assets. It has been published as
'A Museum of the Palani’s'. A former record was 'The Botanical inventory in the
Museum' by Fr. KM Mathew in 1954. The major exhibits/holdings can be
categorized under Anthropology, Flora & Fauna and Handicrafts.
Anthropology
A. Anglade, Rosner and few others have compiled models
of dolmens and tombs of megalithic Stone Age (5000-2000BC) and South Indian
Iron Age (700BC-100AD) of the Palani Hills. The various pictures and engraved
models of the museum help the spectator to virtually recreate the past. A lot
of the dolmens and tombs were damaged later, adding the value of the museum
exhibits.
Flora & Fauna
The anthology of conserved specimens and descriptive
sketches and paintings with ample texts of all the botanical genera in the
vicinity of the Palani hills is showcased in good state contributed by Fr. KM
Mathew who primed the creation of the botanical inventory of the museum in
1954. Field notes with collection date, place and other prominent information
on insects, butterflies, moths, amphibians, snakes, birds, and mammals are
placed collectively with stuffed specimens and instructive sketches and
paintings. The key inventory of fauna was published in 1953 by E. Ugarte.
Handicrafts
The handicrafts comprises of 6 big relief maps of the
Palani hills and parts thereof. These handicrafts were made-up by A. Anglade in
the 1920s with the help of a camera Lucida with all the contours projected with
appropriate metal roads and the entire map fixed on a timber board with iron
framework. A. Anglade is the person who prepared the wooden carvings of the
dolmens and other archaeological finding's.
Activities
A visit to the Shembaganur Museum of Natural History is
worth a trip, especially for history buffs. Having a large collection of the
specimens of moths, mammals, butterflies and snakes, this museum attracts
anthropologists as well. A herbarium is also present within the complex that houses
more than 2500 varieties of plants. Trees that are important scientifically are
also planted here. In addition, this museum also has a collection of 300
species of timber.
While on a trip to this amazingly beautiful museum,
tourists can also visit the Kodaikanal Lake. Offering a marvelous view of
sunset, this lake is present amidst various peaks. Shopaholics can also delve
in the activity of shopping and can buy homemade chocolates along with local
handicrafts and artifacts. Being a tourist destination, this place is lined
with innumerous markets. Therefore while on a trip to Kodaikanal, keep this
museum on your must visit list.
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Visit Duration
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2 to 3 hours
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Entry Fee
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No Entry Fee
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