If there were one place from Ahmedabad that definitely deserves a mention in Ripley’s believe it or not… what would you think of? The first thought that crossed my mind would be the Vechaar Utensil Museum!
Almost every city has an arts museum, history museum, science museums etc. But how many of them have a Utensil Museum? Well none but Ahmedabad!
Vechaar (Vishalla Environmental Centre for Heritage of Art, Architecture and Research) manages this amazing collection of over 2000 rare utensils in the premises of the Vishalla restaurant. Mr. Surendra Patel, an interior designer and restaurateur, established the museum on 27th April 1981 with the objective to preserve our valuable ancient vessels. He is both the designer as well as the curator of this fabulous museum.
On display are utensils in copper, brass, terracotta, clay and bronze, which include pots that store water, utensils for cooking and serving, vessel for churning buttermilk, spoons, rolling pins, storage jars, cookers, steamers, casseroles, woks and frying pans, jugs, kettles, bottles and boxes, plates, glasses and bowls, spice-boxes, tiffin-boxes, nutcrackers, infants’ feeding cups, knives and tantric havan kunds.
Apart from the items on display, the architecture of the museum building is amusing as well as it is shaped like a quadrangular hut with mud plastered on all walls. There are four water bodies inside the museum as well which keep the building cool in the absence of air conditioning.
If you have an eye for design, the utensils in this museum will fascinate you with their intricate design and ornamentation. Each piece is a jewel in itself, priceless, crafted to precision; in fact they are a right mix of art and craft.
The museum is open on all days except Monday from 3.00 PM to 10.30 PM at night which is perfect if you are having a meal at Vishalla Restaurant.
Address:
Vishalla, Sarkhej Narol Highway, Opp. Vasna Tol Naka,Vasna, Ahmedabad ,Gujarat 380055
Hemal Mehta
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