Fascinated by picking up seashells during a walk on the beach? Find a massive collection of around 40,000 of them at the India Sea Shell Museum in Mahabalipuram. Raja Mohammad, the founder of the India Sea Shell Museum started collecting shells when he was only a child. Travelling to different countries and collecting seashells from all over the world, the museum is now home to 6,000 different species of seashells. The founder’s son Mohammad Rizwan tells us that the seashells are from countries all over the world such as Mexico, Australia, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. Looking colourful and grand (with a giant octopus and even conch statue), the museum is situated right in front of the beach. Don’t miss the entrance which is found directly opposite the pancha rathas (Shore Temples) in Mahabalipuram.
There are four galleries at the museum and you will learn something new with a tidbit of information along with all the seashells on display. We found a cool model train built with oyster shells in Gallery 1. Pay attention to the detail in the model right from the buffers to the piston and the chimney too. This model is completely hand-made and took six months to build, apparently. Similar to this train, you will find models of an aeroplane and a car, made with seashells in the other galleries as well as fossils, shark teeth and whale fins on display. The collection is splendid and doesn’t forget to have a look at the fascinating story of how pearls are formed in oysters in Gallery 3 and the Australian Trumpet in Gallery 4, the largest seashell in the world! Initially started in 2013, the seashell museum has been recently renovated with new exciting developments.