Einstein, Tagore and Tendulkar seen together as Jaipur unveils its wax museum
The city of Jaipur has one more reason to feel proud: It now has its own wax museum.
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar, boxer Mary Kom, Olympic medallist Saina Nehwal, tennis player Sania Mirza, popstar Michael Jackson, actor Jackie Chan, scientist Albert Einstein and astronaut Kalpana Chawla now have one thing in common: They are some of the illustrious people whose statues adorn the Jaipur Wax Museum.
Away from the city's humdrum, Jaipur's latest pride has been constructed within the precincts of the historic Nahargarh Fort, earning it the distinction of being the world's first wax museum to be installed at a heritage site.
Here's all you need to know about the museum:
#1 A 10-feet-long bike named the Gati Gamini -- inspired by Rajasthan Tourism -- stands close to the entrance. Inside, attempt has been made to recreate Delhi's Rajpath, with Rashtrapti Bhavan at one end and India Gate at the other.
#2 An exhibit called 'The Royal Durbar' presents a slice of Rajasthan's history, with various statues including those of Gayatri Devi and Maharana Pratap. The museum presents another similar exhibit called 'The Journey of the Jaipur Gemstone'.
#3 The best experience of the museum is the Sheesh Mahal exhibit. It presents a magnificent imagery using 2.5 million mirrors, conjuring a unique artistic experience. The intricate 'thikri work' -- a craft first used several centuries ago -- can also be seen at the exhibit and can provide optical illusions.
#4 More than 500 workers worked for 9 months to put together the museum, with 'The Royal Durbar' and 'Sheesh Mahal' exhibits demanding most work.
#5 The wax statues go through various stages before being ready for presentation. The construction of the face itself usually takes five stages: Clay Face, POP (or Plaster of Paris) Face, Wax Face, Silicon face and Face after Make up.
#6 The museum's founder Anoop Srivastava said his inspiration to set up a wax museum came when he unveiled the statue of Amitabh Bachchan at a film festival held in Jaipur.
#7 Apart from wax statues, the museum also holds hundreds of rare pictures of several celebrities, including those of Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin Tendulkar, among others.
#8 The museum also includes a souvenir shop -- built like a treasure chest.
VISITORS ALL PRAISES
Several visitors that India Today spoke to were effusive in their praise for the wax museum.
"It is excellent and you can see, you can have a feel of the ancient time. We were feeling that we are in the old era, that we are with the Princess, we are with the Kings. It is amazing," said one visitor.
"I will definitely come again," said another.
