India's first bell museum opens at Thirumala

Thiruvananthapuram: Can you imagine a museum that is exclusively dedicated for bells? The majestic bell museum, a first in India, is all ready to welcome visitors at Thirumala Sreekrishna Nagar. The museum, designed by well known architect N Mahesh, exhibits more than 7000 bells that come from his wife Latha's personal collection.

The unique design of the museum too stands out for its aesthetic qualities. The structure is built using Canadian timber. The visitors can see more than 7000 varieties of bells collected from around 90 countries in the last 30 years.

The beautiful exteriors and interiors of the museum, built using classic Canadian timber amazingly complement the elaborate collection of bells. Meanwhile, the exterior walls are panelled using the exquisite Western red cedar timber that adds elegant charm to the structure.

From the unique bell made from the debris of a crashed German fighter jet during the Second World War to the special bell that is hung on the necks of pet animals in Cambodia, each bell in this museum has an amazing tale to tell. The bell from Egypt is in the shape of a pyramid. There are many huge bells in the collection that costs up to Rs 1 lakh.