Being in Bhopal for a friend's wedding, I also searched for some of the best tourist places in the city to visit, and this was one at the top of the list.
The garden cum museum is located right on the same road as the Birla Temple and Museum. As you enter, it is a massive garden with various installations on each side related to the country's Armed Forces. There are also beautiful flower beds across the garden. At one end, there is a massive statue of Mother India holding the national flag along with our national anthem and national song written on each side at the base. Beyond that, there is also a huge open-air theatre.
Once you move to the center, there is an entry point to the museum, which is actually built below the ground. The only point to note here is you would need to take an INR 50 ticket for a photography pass. The bad part is that I wonder if this went into the guard's pockets as no slip was given, and these guys only accept cash and no digital mode of payment.
The museum below is one of the finest war and army museums I have ever visited. It covers everything right from the valor of our kings to statements of our freedom fighters as you enter the ramp. Once you are inside, the first thing you see is the posters of all the presidents of Bharat as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. Then, you also have details of the chief of all the 3 armed forces mentioned along with their tenure. Inside, you can see various installations, such as a mock bunker, for people to understand what they are and how they are essential during a war. At one point, a room was known as Siachen the museum's highlight. The moment you step inside, you can feel the chill biting into your skin, giving you a first-hand view of how temperatures might be at Siachen.
From there, an entire hall contains photos and stories of all our heroes of the armed forces who have displayed exceptional bravery on the battlefields and were awarded the prestigious Paramvir or Mahavir Chakras. The stories are detailed, and reading them makes you feel proud. A central cubicle also shows all the medals given in various situations. Further, at the end of the museum are miniature models of our warships, destroyers, and submarines, along with a model of an air base and machine guns installed for desert warfare. Finally, when you come out into the garden, there is a big installation with a Digital flame burning all the time in front of it. There are also boards with the names of all our soldiers who have made the supreme sacrifice to defend the nation.
The museum is a must-visit place that gives never-before-seen information about our armed forces in an entirely realistic portrayal.
