Soham Heritage Centre: A Hidden Gem in Mussoorie

Soham Heritage Centre is a private museum in Mussoorie located just about 1 km away from Picture Palace. The museum showcases the rich Himalayan culture and tradition through paintings, murals, sculptures, artefacts and other art forms.

Many tourists don’t know about Soham Heritage Centre. Even locals are clueless about it. When I went there, Google map was slightly off from the destination. I enquired a couple of locals about heritage centre, and they had no idea about it. They asked the tea seller besides them, and he told them that I was asking about Karma Vilas. They gave me the direction of Karma Vilas, from where I was guided to the Soham Heritage Centre.

Also Read: My Solo Experience to Mussoorie

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Soham Heritage Centre was founded by Mr. Sameer Shukla and his wife Dr. Kavita Shukla. They came to Mussoorie from Delhi around 20 years ago with the dream of living their life on mountains. While the sculptures are made by Sameer, all the paintings are the work of Kavita. Kavita gave me a guided tour of the museum.

To me, painting section was the key attraction of the museum. Painting’s themes varied from spiritual, religion, cultural to modern art. I could easily visualize the culture of tribal communities, their folklore and traditions. Kavita beautifully depicted the emotions and story in her paintings. She was also very enthusiastic to explain the paintings, her motivation and inspiration behind them.

Outside the painting room, on the walls of the passage to the temple, Sameer’s work of sculptures of Lord Vishnu’s ten Avatars are engraved. There are other sculptures engraved on the wall as well which were commissioned by Mr. and Mrs. Shukla.

One section of the museum has collections of Himalayan herbs, agriculture equipment, and Himalayan animal horn. On the wall, framed photographs of people of Himalaya are hung. Museum also displays hundreds of photographs of Himalaya from the pre-independence era, and of Tibet before China invasion. All these photographs were gifted to them. Those are some incredible and fascinating photo collection of the Himalayan culture.

The final section of the museum is dedicated to the old utensils used by Himalayan people, musical instruments, jewellery made of quartz, Rudraksha and semi-precious stones. Adjacent to it is a souvenir shop where you can buy replicas of the paintings, mountain jewellery, assorted items made of Himalayan stones, and Himralayan herbal products.

Every section of the museum oozes the Himalayan culture, its heritage and tradition in the air. I loved every minute of my stay there. Those sixty minutes were not only visually exquisite but also knowledgeable. If I ever go back to Mussoorie, I would definitely revisit Soham Heritage Centre.

How to reach Soham Heritage Centre

There is no public transport to the museum. The best way to reach there is by foot or own vehicle.
Soham Heritage Centre is around 1km away from Picture Palace and 3 km away from Gandhi Chowk.
Many people don’t know about it. So, ask for the directions to Karma Vilas Hotel. The receptionist at the hotel will guide you from there.

Address – Chamunda Peeth Temple Road, Big Bend Bala Hisar, The Mall Road, Mussoorie
Phone – +91 98 97241261, +91 98 97979151
Official website – http://explorehimalayas.org/
Entry Fee – Rs 100
Opening Hours – 10 AM to 2 PM, 3 PM to 5 PM (closed on Wednesday)

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