The Regional Museum of Natural History at Mysore, is a museum

Museum

A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...

 in India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 with exhibits on plants, animals and geology of the southern region of India.

Description

The Regional Museum of Natural History at Mysore, was inaugurated on 20 May 1995. It was undertaken by the government of India, ministry of environment and forests. The museum is located on the banks of Karanji Lake, with the Chamundi Hills

Chamundi Hills

The Chamundi Hills are located in India, close to the palace city of Mysore. The hills' average elevation is 1,000 meters.According to legend, the demon Mahishasura, king of the area that is currently Mysore, was killed by the Goddess Chamundeswari after a fierce battle. The hills are named after...

 visible in the background. It is now a landmark in the city. The museum exhibits plants, animals and geology of the southern region of India. The galleries emphasize the conservation of nature and natural resources while depicting ecological interrelationship among plants and animals. Visually challenged students can feel the exhibits of animals on the premises. The museum provides an extracurricular activity for schools and promotes environmental awareness.

Galleries

• Biological Diversity has multiple sections. The first section has a special emphasis on the western ghats
  Western Ghats
  The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
  
  . It exhibits the biodiversity
  Biodiversity
  Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
  
   of the southern region of India. The next section is about tropical rain forests, of countries that possess them, showcasing their diversity and global benefits. The next section is on the significance of wetlands and the mangrove
  Mangrove
  Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
  
   forests. The next section depicts a diorama of a marine habitat. The last section has a large exhibit panel cautioning against the destruction natural diversity.
• Life through the Ages is walk-through tunnel, depicting evolution of life.
• The Discovery center consists of a discovery room, a computer room, a vivarium
  Vivarium
  A vivarium is a usually enclosed area for keeping and raising animals or plants for observation or research...
  
  and a mini weather station. Children can handle, examine and study specimens in the discovery room. A mini theater, a sound booth are also present to keep children occupied. The bioscience computer room facilitates studying biology through interactive and multimedia techniques at a high-school or college level.