Bengal Natural History Museum has over 4300 real specimens of rare reptiles, birds, insects, fishes, and mammals. It is a visual treat for everyone.
As you step into the museum, you’ll be greeted by the ground floor, where you can spot more than 820 specimens of birds belonging to over 400 species of the area. You might feel like you’re in a natural forest as the bird nests and eggs are placed in natural settings on tree branches. But the real show-stealers are the Himalayan Brown Wood Owls, Northern spotted owlet, Northern Brown Fish Owl, pheasants, flycatchers, and woodpeckers. Don’t forget to take a look at the other animals like Tibetan fox, Tibetan Lynx, Toddy cat, heads of wild buffaloes hanging from the walls, panthers or leopards. You can also find different types of butterflies, moths, dragonflies, and beetles displayed in glass cabinets.
The basement is where you’ll find many types of birds like pelicans, jungle fowls, and others against various land features of West Bengal. The Himalayan fauna is another attraction at the Bengal Natural History Museum. And the museum also houses a small library with many rare and valuable books, including the 125 volume series titled ‘The fauna of British India.’
Back in 1903, the then Governor General of India, Mr. George Nathaniel Curzon, gave the nod to establish a small museum within the Lloyd Botanical Garden to showcase the rich flora and fauna of Darjeeling and its surrounding areas. As you can guess, the collection and the visitors grew, leading to the museum’s relocation to its current location in 1915. And in 1923, the Bengal Natural History Museum was born, thanks to the Bengal Natural Museum Society. Later, the museum was handed over to the Forest Department of West Bengal in 1976.
The entry fee is just Rs.10 per person.