India’s first Sand Sculpture Museum is in Mysore. It is a unique museum where one finds the heritage of Mysore crafted into sand. Located near Chamundi Hills, this Museum is worth a visit. It is incredible to note that these marvelous pieces of art were made using just sand and water. A giant 15 feet Ganesha statue right at the entrance is followed by variety of themes including Tom & Jerry, Mysore Kings, Chamundeswari Goddess, landscapes and animals. The sand sculpture museum takes you to another world for half an hour!
Reaching Sand Sculpture Museum
The Sand Sculpture Museum is located near the base of Chamundi Hills in Sapthamathrukha Layout in KC Layout.
A fun way to explore Mysore is to ride in a Harley, Triumph or Royal Enfield in a guided motorcycle tour organized by 5 Senses Tours. There are 2 tours offered from Bangalore to Mysore. Check Organic Farming & Heritage Trail and Royal and Cultural Heritage Trail.
Timings for Sand Sculpture Museum
The Sand Sculpture Museum is open from 8am to 630pm.
Entrance Fee for Museum
There is a charge of Rs 40 for adults and 20 for kids.
Contact number
The Sand Sculpture Museum can be contacted on 9448273890.
Homestay in Mysore
Homestays are a fun way to stay in Mysore. They are also more cost effective. For options visit Mysore Homestay
The Creator
MN Gowri, a resident of Mysore is the creator of this museum. She is a bachelor in fine arts. Gowri wanted to show something unique to tourists coming to Mysore. Being an exponent of Sand Sculpture she decided to create a museum to showcase her works of art made out of sand and water
Making of the Museum
This is a remarkable museum as usually sand sculptures are a temporary creation on beaches. Here, the sculptures are permanent and had to be protected from elements of nature. Gowri had to work from dawn to dusk for 4 months to complete the entire museum. The only material used has been sand, water and a little bit of glue. More than a hundred truck loads of sand went into building this museum. Insecticides are used to prevent insects from making crevices in the sculptures.
The Museum
Spread over 13500 square feet, this museum exhibits 150 pieces of sand sculptures. The prominent themes are heritage of Mysore, wildlife and scenes from epics of major religions of the world. Right at the entrance is a giant 15 feet tall statue of Ganesha. Other prominent works are those of the erstwhile King of Mysore, Chamundeswari Devi, Arjun and Krishna in chariot, wild animals and ancient Egypt.
My favorite piece was the following one depicting a bandit looking horse rider from Arabian Nights.
Tom & Jerry is probably the funniest piece in this entire museum.
For more weekend getaways from Bangalore, visit Weekend ideas for Bangalore.