Mysuru: The Regional Museum of Natural History (RMNH) in Siddharthanagar is a non-formal environmental education centre built to create awareness among the public and the students through exhibitions in galleries and various educational activities about nature, environment, wildlife and its conservation.

Exhibits are the primary learning resources here. At present, the museum has two galleries: Biological Diversity and Life Through the Ages.

Apart from these two attractions, a new attraction that is coming up here is the Skeleton Gallery. In another year, the gallery will be fully ready with the skeletons of various animals.

RMNH was set up in Mysuru in 1995. Thus the city had one more distinction, among the many firsts, of being selected as the first place to house the Museum in the entire country.

The Biological Diversity gallery presents the basic concepts of natural history and the variety and diversity of geological, plant, and animal heritage of the region. The second gallery, Life Through the Ages, tells the fascinating story beginning with the origin of the earth and life on the planet through the ages, all this is dramatically presented in a walk across a tunnel.

The discovery centre at the museum provides opportunities for visitors, especially children, to handle, examine and study specimens, and participate in creative activities such as painting, modelling and preparing animal masks and costumes.

However, the assembling of the bison skeleton is its first successful mission. This bison skeleton was in the collection of the world famous Taxidermists, the Van Ingens. This had come as gift from the                                                      Van Ingen bungalow.

This skeleton has been successfully assembled under the direction of Bhubaneswar Centurion University Professor Dr. Shiva Prasad. The skeleton is placed in a glass case and exhibited at the Skeleton Gallery. Along with the Western Ghats nature exhibition, the skeleton gallery is a new addition.

The skeletons of two pilot whales are another major attraction. These two pilot whales skeleton were brought from Tamil Nadu in 2016. Two elephant heads and jaws are also here and in the coming days, it has been decided to give  them a shape.

There is a 30 feet whale here!

In the heart of the RMNH, a 30 feet skeleton of a whale that is going to come up, is sure to give a thrilling experience. The entry to the exhibition which is free, is open from 10 am to 6 pm.

Plans to assemble Elephant Drona’s skeleton : There are plans to assemble the skeletons of many animals and exhibit them. Immediately there is an idea to assemble the skeleton of a deer and black buck.  Decision is being taken to assemble the skeleton of 37-year-old elephant Drona which died recently at the Mathigodu elephant camp. Since Drona had participated in the Dasara Festival, it is going to be a tourist attraction. The necessary permission to assemble the skeleton has to be taken from the State Government. It will take a lot of time since the body has to atrophy. Only if all these things fall in place will the next steps be taken.

By Dr. G.N. Indresh, Director, RMNH