Sunday 19 February 2017

Sulabh International Museum of Toilets


Want to trace evolution of toilets throughout human history? Then visit India's Sulabh International Museum of Toilets. It has been ranked third among the world’s 10 weirdest museums by Time magazine.
The Sulabh international Museum of Toilets is located in New Delhi and traces the history of toilets.  The Museum is run by the Sulabh International, which is dedicated to the global history of sanitation and toilets. It was set up by Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, a social reformer and the founder of the Sulabh Sanitation Movement in 1992.

Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, pictured the idea of setting up a museum of toilets. He engaged
Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak
himself in a worldwide search for details of the evolution of toilets and of the various designs used in different countries at different points of time. He contacted various high commissions and embassies of different countries for information and photographs of various toilet designs. All the information he acquired have now been diSplayed in the museum.

“It is indeed a very unusual museum and it’s the only one of its kind in the world,” says Sulabh founder Bindeshwar Pathak. “We founded the museum to give a message,” he said. “India faces a big challenge in the sanitation sector. So our museum helps policy makers understand the efforts that were made in this field in the past.”

The museum has rare collections of facts, pictures and other objects which detail the history and evolution of toilets from 2500 BC, till date. These provide chronological details of developments relating to technology, toilet related customs, toilet manners and sanitary conditions of the times. The museum also displays privies, chamber pots, decorated Victorian toilet seats, toilet furniture, bidets and water closets which were in use from 1145 AD to the modern times.

The Museum has exhibits from 50 countries, which are sequentially displayed in three main sections, ancient, medieval and modern. There are nearly 300 pieces on display. There are interesting toilet related cartoons, photographs of toilets from the catalogues of reputed sanitary ware manufacturing companies, public toilets of different countries and toilet jokes.


The museum also has a rare collection of beautiful poems related to toilet and its usage. The visitors can also see the toy-commode from China, mobile toilet of Sulabh, electric toilet from USA and the model of the world’s biggest toilet complex at a religious place named Shirdi in Maharashtra. The museum is also exhibiting some ultra-modern electronic toilets from Japan, South Korea and some other countries.

The most unique piece in the museum, according to the founder, is the throne-like chamber pot of the French emperor, Louis XIV. Some of the interesting and amusing objects displayed at the museum are: a toilet disguised as a bookcase; toilet pots made of gold and silver used by the Roman emperors; information on the technology transfer from Russia to NASA to convert urine into potable water; information about flush pot designed in 1596 by Sir John Harington during Queen Elizabeth I's regime; the sewerage system that existed during the Harappan Civilization; and historical information from the Lothal archeological site on the development of toilets during the Indus Valley Civilization.

Website : http://www.sulabhtoiletmuseum.org

Address: Sulabh International Museum of Toilets,
              Sulabh Bhawan, Palam Dabri Road,
              Mahavir Enclave, New Delhi, Delhi, India.

1 comment:

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