BIRLA PLANETARIUM,KOLKATA

Birla Planetarium was set up by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on 2nd July 1963. It was opened to the public. This one in Kolkata is one of the three planetariums present in India. It is also known as Taramandal. Many programs are carried out in the planetarium in various languages including Hindi, English, Bengali, and other regional languages. It is situated at the intersection of Jawaharlal Road. The planetarium houses numerous innovations and creativity, giving out knowledge to its fellow visitors

A revamped Birla Planetarium has been reopened after a 28-month overhaul shutdown with a ‘Know Your Weight In the Solar System’ scale and ‘Carl Zeiss Projection system’ as its major attractions. The `Know Your Weight In the Solar System’ scale is a device which will measure the weight of a person and a computer chip in it will show his or her weight on the moon, the sun or any of the planets. Whereas, the latest Carl Zeiss Hybrid Projection System, which has an opto-mechanical projector, will produce a unique depiction of the cosmos and treat celestial lovers with a never-seen-before visual experience. The digital projectors will provide vivid and colourful images of celestial objects and events. The opto-mechanical projector will provide a depiction of the night sky as seen by a human eye.

AT THE ENTRANCE

How to Reach Birla Planetarium

The planetarium is situated at a distance of 18 km approx from the airport and is easily accessible via cab through VIP road. It is located at a distance of 5 km from the railway station and can be easily reached via taxi through Acharya Jagdish Chandra Bose Marg.

Architecture of Birla Planetarium

The style followed in the architecture of Birla Planetarium has been adopted from Sanchi Stupa. The dome has a diameter of 23m and can accommodate as many as 688 people. The color of the outer side of the dome is milky white. The roof has been given the shape of a dome. Columns have been allocated across the circumference of the place. One can find it similar to a mini Colosseum.

“We want to include M P Birla Planetarium in the tourist map of the city so that more and more tourists can come and visit it,” said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee while inaugurating the renovated planetarium. The planetarium will offer seven shows from Monday to Saturday and on Sunday it will run nine shows. The shows will be conducted in English, Bengali and Hindi.

The planetarium is the oldest in Asia and the second largest in the world. A landmark in Kolkata, it used to attract close to seven lakh visitors annually bown for renovation.efore it was shutd