Sand Museum, Mysore

                Sand Museum, located on the way to Chamundi Hills, is the latest attraction in Mysore. Sand sculpture Museum is the brainchild of MN Gowri, one of the leading sand sculptors of India. With four months of hard work and unwavering dedication she has created this unique museum, which primarily focuses on the heritage of Mysore, wildlife, instances from different religious epics and fairy tales and stories, besides an exclusive creation for children.

                 Sand sculptures are commonly crafted for a brief display on the beaches. The sand sculpted museum is a permanent museum of sand sculptures, protected from the sun and rain. Created solely with sand and water and a small amount of glue, these sand sculptures captivate with their entrancing beauty. To prevent insects from making crevices in the art works, insecticides are sprayed at regular intervals. These sand sculptures can last up to one year of time. The Museum displays around 150 sculptures of sand in 16 different themes, which have been placed over an area of 13500 sq. feet. These sand sculptures have been created using more than 115 truckloads of sand.

                  Depending on the picture, the proportions are visualized, and translated on to sand using techniques like compressing (creating mounds) and engraving (creating depth). The wet sand is sculpted from top to bottom, with great skill as a single wrong move will lead to the entire work collapsing. The sculptures include a giant 15 feet Ganesha statue at the entrance. Other sand sculptures at the museum are of Goddess Chamundeshwari, erstwhile Mysore King Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar seated on his throne during a Dasara festival, zodiac wheel, ‘Gitopadesha’ with Lord Krishna and Arjuna on a horse-drawn chariot, ancient civilization, marine life, Disneyland, Islamic culture, a Christmas tree, Santa Claus, laughing Buddha, Christmas tree, Disneyland, ancient Egypt, instances from Arabian nights, Tom & Jerry cartoon, etc.