
The Prime Minister, Sri Narendra Modi inaugurated the newly established Virtual Experiential Museum (VEM) in a Centrally Protected Monument under Archeological Survey of India, Man – Mahal, situated on the bank of the Ganges near holy Dashashwamedh Ghat at Varanasi today.
Virtual Experiential Museum has been established by the National Council of Science Museum (NCSM) working under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. NCSM has worked hard to show a glimpse of various cultural aspects, tangible and intangible, of Varanasi through the use of modern and sophisticated virtual reality technology in this museum. Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) helped in designing and curation of this Virtual Experiential Museum and also in preparing of script for various documentaries to be shown in this VEM.
A tour of VEM will be a unique experience for the visitors where they will get the experience of the holy ghats, classical music, weaving of sari, Ram Leela, 3D view of monuments, narrow lanes and betel shop etc. of Varanasi in an interesting way with the help of curved T.V. screen, paintings, touch screens and projectors etc.
The story of the descent of the holy Ganga on earth will also be shown to the visitors in a most interesting manner.
Before the setting up of VEM, the centrally protected monument observatory of Man – Mahal was conserved scientifically as this building was constructed by Raja Man – Singh in 1600 A.D., a close associate of Mughal Emperor Akbar. Later, in 1734, an observatory was constructed on the roof of this monument by Sawai Jai Singh II of Jaipur, which was planned by Samarath Jagannath to calculate time, prepare lunar and solar calendar, study movement & angles of star and planet.
Entry ticket for this museum with monument is Rs. 25/- for Indian and visitor from SAARC and BIMSTEC countries while for other foreign visitors, Rs. 300/- will be charged. The VEM will remain open from sun rise to sun set. The entry of children below 15 years is free.

