A seashell gifted to the educator and activist Alice Garg by her father on her fifth birthday gave birth to a passion for collecting them, which finally culminated into a museum. Alice Garg National Sea Shell Museum displays around 3,000 species of shells from the seven classes from all over the world which have been collected during Alice Garg's travels in India and abroad alone or with her husband, Krishna Garg.
Rare shells, uncommon shells, and common shells, are the three categories that the shells fall under. The two floors, ground and first, are dedicated to the museum. The ground floor has three rooms displaying a general introduction to shell, shells for gourmet such as scallops, and a small section showcasing the use of shells to make various objects. Diverse shells such as nautilus shells, trumpet shells, cone shells, helmet shells, conch shells and more are displayed in showcases in the main hall on the first floor. Each of the shells are labelled with their scientific name, where they are found, and their respective category.
The museum also has a gift shop on the ground floor which has, among other things, handcrafted shells, posters, and a collection of books on shells for those who want to know more about the objects.
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Interior view of the gallery on the first floor.
Lion's Paw Scallop, Lyropecten nodosa
S.E. USA to Brazil, Ascension Island; Offshore; Many colours
Category: Uncommon (UC)
Glory of India, Conus milneedwardsi.
A beautiful cone shell from Indian Ocean, found offshore
Category: Rare (R)
A mix of nautilus shells on display that belong to the class Cephalopoda:
1) Pearly Nautilus, Nautilus pompilius
Indian Ocean, C. Pacific esp. Philippines; Edible
Category: Common (C)
2) New Calendonia Nautilus, Nautilus macromphalus
New Caledonia; Offshore waters
Category: Uncommon (UC)
3) Chambered Nautilus, Nautilus pompilius
Category: Common (C)
Green Abalone, Haliotis pourtalise
S.E. USA to Brazil; On rocks, offshore
Category: Uncommon (UC)
Flinder's Vase, Altivasum flindersi
South & West Australia; Offshore, deep water
Category: Rare (R)
Atlantic Trumpet Triton, Charonia variegata
S.E. Florida, West Indies, Mediterranean
Category: Uncommon (UC)
Australian Trumpet, Syrinx aruanus
N. Australia; Intertidial: 10 m; Largest living gastropod; Aborigines use the shell to carry drinking water
Category: Uncommon (UC)
Wavy Turban, Astraea undosa
California to W. Mexico; Subtidal rocks
Category: Common (C)
Plexa Nerite, Nerita plexa
Indian Ocean; Higher shore rocks
Category: Uncommon (UC)
₹ 15 for Children aged between 3-5
₹ 20 for Children above 5
₹ 20 for Students
₹ 100 Foreign Tourist
₹ 50 Photography
₹ 50 Videography
₹ 10 Living shells