Revisiting Coimbatore’s Gass Forest Museum, Textile Museum, Geedee Car Museum and more

Gass Forest Musuem

Nestled among greenery astatine the sprawling wood field of Tamil Nadu Forest Academy is the iconic 120-year-old Gass Forest Museum named aft Horace Archibald Gass (the Conservator of Forests in Coimbatore Southern Circle of the Madras Presidency successful 1902) successful designation of his efforts and contributions.

A one-of-its-kind depository successful the country, it is simply a grounds of the past of the land, lovingly curated for implicit a century. The towering two-tiered Gothic-style mansion holds 1 of India’s largest and oldest earthy past collections and hosts arsenic galore arsenic 4000 artefacts including wildlife, timber and non-timber wood produce, geological samples, and wood engineering models. It continues to pull students, researchers, quality enthusiasts and the wide public.

A elephantine stuffed Indian Gaur from the Biligiri Hills of Karnataka greets you astatine the accumulation room. It was presented successful 1956 by Jayachamaraja Wodeyar, the past Maharaja of the princely authorities of Mysore. The gaur is accompanied by assorted different stuffed animals and birds including the great Indian hornbill, Nilgiri langur, and slender lorris. A skeleton conception showcases the skeleton of an elephant and a bull portion 1 tin besides research an extended postulation of fungi successful the mycology section. The exhibits besides see a cross-section of a 456-year-old teak wood, archetypal man-made Conolly’s teak wood, and implicit 400 timber panels. This gives america a peek into past of the East India Company’s accomplishment and trading. In entomology, insects, beetles and butterflies are displayed connected mahogany boards that spell backmost to implicit a century. A sneak peek of uncommon butterflies similar the autumn leafage and 5 set swordtail is simply a highlight. While the wildlife artefacts are disturbed lone to polish, periodically alteration formalin and support moisture content, the seeds, soils and fungi collections are updated regularly. However, preserving biologic specimens is simply a challenge.

The depository volition beryllium unfastened from 9 americium to 5.30 p.m. connected each moving days but Saturday, Sunday and declared holidays with an introduction interest of ₹40 for adults and ₹20 for children. Museum curator tin beryllium reached astatine 0422 2450307.

Police Museum

An grounds of a 120-year-old uncommon agelong muzzle load weapon catches your attraction arsenic you measurement wrong for a day with past astatine at the Police Museum (the erstwhile Hamilton Club) adjacent the Coimbatore Railway Station, constructed successful 1918. The artefacts connected show hint the past of the constabulary section including aged police uniforms, uncommon photographs, and weapons seized from precocious wood brigand Veerappan, a submarine from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, to sanction a few. One of the cannons placed connected the broadside of the gathering successful the unfastened is made of formed robust and was utilized successful the celebrated conflict of Wandiwash (third Carnatic War of 1760) fought betwixt the British and the French. The cannon, partially damaged, is embedded with the British Crown emblem connected top. The cannon was brought from Arcot Police Station, Vellore.

An HPT-32 Deepak primary trainer aircraft, which retired from work successful 2009, occupies pridefulness of spot astatine the museum. The craft manufactured successful 1977 by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was utilized successful Indian Air Force Academy adjacent Hyderabad for grooming purposes. The 25 feet-long craft is nine-feet gangly and boasts a wingspan of implicit 30 feet. Other notable displays see the T55 Tanker utilized successful Kargil War, mini craft utilized to bid warfare pilots, marine boats, torpedo missiles from the Indian Navy, and a sword presented by the precocious MG Ramachandran in 1980. Other prized possessions are hand-written notes of Chief Ministers who ruled the State implicit the years.

An HPT-32Deepak superior trainer aircraft, which retired from work successful 2009, occupies a pridefulness of spot astatine the museum. The craft manufactured successful 1977 by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was utilized successful Indian Air Force Academy adjacent Hyderabad for grooming purposes. The 25 feet-long craft is nine-feet gangly and boasts a wingspan of implicit 30 feet. Other notable displays see the T55 Tanker utilized successful Kargil War, mini craft utilized to bid warfare pilots, marine boats, torpedo missiles from Indian Navy, and a sword presented by the precocious Chief Minster MG Ramachandranin 1980 are notable displays. Another prized possession are hand-written notes of Chief Ministers who ruled the State implicit the years.

The Police Museum located connected State Bank Road adjacent the Coimbatore Railway Station is unfastened six days a week from 10am to 7pm and is closed connected Mondays. The metropolis constabulary set and sniffer canine demonstrations hap each Saturday and Sunday from 6pm to 7pm. Entry interest is ₹10 and escaped for authorities schoolhouse students, constabulary personnel, and children.

Textile Museum

An creator bid of paintings connected mica sheets that picture the handloom operations successful India successful the 17th Century starting with reeling, sorting hanks of yarn, dyeing, and marketing, is simply a noteworthy grounds astatine the textile museum, a portion of the Kasthuri Sreenivasan Art Gallery acceptable up successful 1988 by the precocious K Sreenivasan, a visionary, textiles idiosyncratic and writer. Other displays see accepted looms specified arsenic the loin loom utilized by Naga tribes (one extremity of the loom is tied to the waist of the weaver and the different to a histrion trunk), looms utilized by tribal radical successful Madhya Pradesh, hank holders and a exemplary of a drugget loom, which is utilized to weave carpets.

A treasure trove of paintings and textile-related heirlooms, a conception connected past of textile exertion showcases the maturation and improvement of spinning and weaving opening with whorl wheels of Egypt and the spinning wheels of Mohenjadaro and Takli spinning, to Chinese silk weaving and past methods of manus ginning. Among the exhibits are Leonardo Da Vinci’s spinning instrumentality (Saxony wheel) and samples of a 1000-year-old cloth from the Tellem caves of Nigeria.

A exemplary of manual vertical weaving preparations belonging to 1760 AD and Muller powerloom in usage successful 1796 AD are besides connected display. Crompton’s spinning mule, developed by Samuel Crompton (1779 AD) and assorted models of charkha gives a peek into the affluent practice of Indian textiles.

The KasthuriSreenivasan Art Gallery and Textile Museum is unfastened from 9am to 5pm connected each days but Sundays and National holidays. For details, telephone 0422-2574110. Entry is free

Geedee Car Museum

The Geedee Car Museum throws immoderate astonishment oregon the different during each visit. For instance, connected a caller travel with a clump of schoolhouse children, we saw up adjacent the caravan autobus that was utilized by societal activistic EVR Periyar for campaigning. We person seen the autobus respective times — it was a acquisition from the person to GD Naidu, who were known to beryllium bully friends. What struck america was however the polished woody interiors gleamed; the seats excessively were done up with shiny caller covers.

The depository tally by the GD Naidu Charities since April 2015, has implicit 100 vintage cars that are portion of the backstage postulation of the GD Naidu family. A sojourn takes 1 done the improvement of automobiles, starting with the past of cars and the technological innovations that took spot implicit the years. Each show is accompanied by informative substance panels astir the model; determination besides is simply a video amusement that tin beryllium seen arsenic soon arsenic 1 enters the museum.

On show are the Benz Motorwagen 1886 developed by Carl Benz, the Volkswagen Kombi Van T2, Oldsmobile Delta 88, Cadillac One, and Hansa 1100, among others. In 2023, the depository added a bay for Indian cars, featuring implicit 40 cars by manufacturers specified arsenic Hindustan Motors, Tata, Bajaj, and Premier Automobiles.

There are bully aged models specified arsenic Uno, Ambassador from 1964, Matiz, and 1984 Contessa Classic and cars specified arsenic Indigo, Indica and Aria, a Bedford workplace van from 1931and a Coimbatore-Udumalpet-Palani autobus from the 1940s. Another item is simply a caller conception for show cars with 25 cars, including contention cars, supercars, luxury cars, and Formula 1 cars. 

Gedee Car Museum is located astatine 734, President Hall Building, Avinashi Road. Open from Tuesday to Sunday, 9am to 6.30pm. For details, telephone 2222548.

Mahatma Gandhi Memorial

A impermanent location successful Podanur that Gandhiji visited on February 6, 1934, has been restored arsenic the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial for nationalist viewing. Inaugurated connected October 2, 2022, the location belongs to family of inventor GD Naidu. The memorial features a photograph gallery, library, and a semi-open league space. Visitors tin besides spot displays of replicas of artefacts utilized by Gandhi, specified arsenic his spectacles, Ingersoll watch, rosary, and the charkha.

Gandhi was successful Coimbatore for collecting funds for his Harijan Welfare organisation. He arrived astatine the impermanent location past 11pm, and was up till 2am, engrossed successful accounting work. The country successful which helium worked present has a debased array with a achromatic mattress on a wall, and a charkha in beforehand of it. 

The photograph assemblage has displays that archer radical the beingness communicative of Gandhi. Here, 1 tin find snapshots of letters helium wrote. There is simply a enactment successful his well-known elemental handwriting; a photograph of his missive to Tagore, and adjacent a transcript of his Matriculation exam results from 1887.

In its erstwhile avatar, the tile-roofed gathering was known arsenic GD House and it was during his enactment present that Gandhi laid the instauration chromatic for Sri Ramakrishna Vidyalaya.

Mahatma Gandhi Memorial is located astatine 11/10 A, Chettipalayam Road, Podanur. It is unfastened from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday. Entry is free. Call 2993441 for details.