Birla Planetarium, Kolkata
Encyclopedia
The Birla Planetarium in Kolkata is a single-storeyed circular structure designed in the typical Indian style, whose architecture is loosely styled on the Buddhist stupa
at Sarnath
. Situated at Chowringhee Road adjacent to the Victoria Memorial, St Paul's Cathedral, and the maidan in south Kolkata, it is the largest planetarium in Asia and the second largest planetarium
in the world. There are two other Birla Planetariums in India: B.M. Birla Planetarium
in Chennai
and the Birla Planetarium in Hyderabad.
Popularly known as taramandal, the planetarium was inaugurated in 1963 by the then Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. It has an electronics laboratory for design and fabrication of science equipment. It has an astronomy gallery that maintains a huge collection of fine paintings and celestial models of renowned astronomers. The Planetarium also has an astronomical observatory equipped with a Celestron C-14 Telescope with accessories such as ST6 CCD camera and solar filter. It offers to the public and students more than 100 astronomical projects dealing with various facts of astronomy, astro-physics, Space Science as well as myths concerning stars and planets. It has a capacity of 500.
Daily programs are conducted in English, Bengali and Hindi from 12:00 to 19:00 hrs except on Mondays. Programs are occasionally conducted in Oriya, Tamil and Gujarati, as well. Extra shows are arranged on holidays.
Stupa
A stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship....
at Sarnath
Dhamek Stupa
Dhamek Stupa is a massive stupa located at Sarnath, 13 km away from Varanasi in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India....
. Situated at Chowringhee Road adjacent to the Victoria Memorial, St Paul's Cathedral, and the maidan in south Kolkata, it is the largest planetarium in Asia and the second largest planetarium
Planetarium
A planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation...
in the world. There are two other Birla Planetariums in India: B.M. Birla Planetarium
Birla Planetarium, Chennai
B.M. Birla Planetarium is a large planetarium in Chennai providing a virtual tour of the night sky and holding cosmic shows on a specially perforated hemispherical aluminium inner dome...
in Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
and the Birla Planetarium in Hyderabad.
Popularly known as taramandal, the planetarium was inaugurated in 1963 by the then Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. It has an electronics laboratory for design and fabrication of science equipment. It has an astronomy gallery that maintains a huge collection of fine paintings and celestial models of renowned astronomers. The Planetarium also has an astronomical observatory equipped with a Celestron C-14 Telescope with accessories such as ST6 CCD camera and solar filter. It offers to the public and students more than 100 astronomical projects dealing with various facts of astronomy, astro-physics, Space Science as well as myths concerning stars and planets. It has a capacity of 500.
Daily programs are conducted in English, Bengali and Hindi from 12:00 to 19:00 hrs except on Mondays. Programs are occasionally conducted in Oriya, Tamil and Gujarati, as well. Extra shows are arranged on holidays.