On International Museum Day, we write about the smallest museum we have visited till date!
The Jim Corbett Museum is located in Kaladhungi, a town in the foothills of the Himalayas. Kaladhungi and Ramnagar are the towns that host the Corbett Tiger Reserve (read our blog post about the reserve here).
And Kaladhungi is the place where Edward James Corbett, better known as Jim Corbett, spent a significant part of his life; it was his winter home.
The Corbett Museum is essentially the erstwhile home of the Late Mr. Corbett – who is known as a conservationist. However, what came as a surprise to us was his multi-faceted aspect. To name a few, he served in the railways and in the army. He fought in both the world wars.
Mr. Corbett was a carpenter, a painter, a photographer, & an author. He had an affinity for nature as well as for the local villagers. He was a naturalist and worked for the betterment of the villagers, along with his sister.
Lastly, the Late Mr. Corbett was a skilled hunter.
We became aware of Mr. Corbett’s contributions courtesy a visit to this Museum. The humble bungalow contains his belongings, letters, & photographs.
The proof of his carpentry lies in a chair & table set made by him that resides in the bungalow.
A few of the letters are written by Mr. Corbett; the others, to him. These give a glimpse into the mind of this extraordinary man. E.g. he was so fond of the villagers in Kaladhungi that he distributed his land amongst them when he left India in 1947.
We enjoyed looking at the black & white photographs. Our jaws dropped multiple times seeing the sizes of the man-eating tigers & leopards hunted by the Late Mr. Corbett.
His skill was known across the subcontinent; he was frequently called upon to shoot a tiger/ leopard causing havoc.
The bungalow enjoys a heritage status & is absolutely delightful to look at. Straight out of a picture book! The Museum premises are green with gardens and large trees, and maintained fantastically well.
We ended our visit by shopping from the souvenir shop within the museum premises. All the books authored by the Late Mr. Corbett are available here for purchase.
As we began picking each of his books to buy, the kind lady at the counter pointed out the omnibus to us, which contained all his books in one volume!
It must be the first time we completed a museum visit in 30 minutes!
Our Recommendation – Your visit to the Corbett Tiger Reserve is incomplete without a visit to the Jim Corbett Museum. There is a reason why the Tiger Reserve has been named in honour of this distinguished gentleman!
Photography – Allowed
Restroom – Available & in good condition
Dog Friendliness – We could not take Fluffy inside the Jim Corbett Museum but we could bring her into the garden area near the ticket booth.
