Nehru
Museum and Planetarium is situated at the erstwhile residence of Late
Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India. It is the best
place to learn about the history of the Independence Movement of India.
The museum offers photographs of Jawaharlal Nehru in various phases of
his life. The colonial building structure has high ceilings, teak
panels, spacious verandas and well-maintained gardens. Prior to
independence, this building served as the official residence of the
Commander-in-Chief of the British forces in India. Nehru lived here for
16 years. Also known as Teenmurti Bhawan, it now houses a museum, a library and a planetarium, dedicated to Nehru. The personal museum here is actually the bedroom, the drawing room and the study preserved exactly as they were at the time of Nehru's death. They have a visual display of his achievements, his childhood and youth. The Gifts Gallery exhibits some of the priceless gifts received by Nehru during his travel in India and overseas, including the Bharat Ratna medal that was awarded to him in 1955. The Jawahar Jyoti, the eternal flame that is kept burning day and night, symbolizes the ideals of Jawaharlal Nehru.
His first speech on the eve of Independence of India is inscribed on a massive granite rock, put up in the front lawn. The splendid collection of the library is made up of books and material on religion, culture, sociology, economics, politics and development of India. Besides the books, one can also find pamphlets, newspapers, periodicals, old and rare journals and an excellent manuscript collection. Nehru Planetarium tells you about the Space Program of India, the Universe and showcases the Capsule that took Rakesh Sharma to space. There are astronomy shows held daily, from 11:30 am to 3.00pm. The museum remains closed on Monday.