Birla Planetarium & Science Museum - History, Timings & Entry Fee

At a distance of 2 km from Nampally Railway Station, Birla Planetarium & Science Museum is located near Birla Temple in Nampally area of Hyderabad. This is a large planetarium providing a virtual tour of the solar system and is one of the must visit places for children in Hyderabad.

Situated on a small hill known as Naubat Pahad, it was established in 1985. It is one of the most modern planetariums in the country. The Planetarium offers daily sky shows (in Telugu and English) unfolding various aspects of the Cosmos, the beautiful mysteries of the Universe, the Hubble Space Telescope, Eclipses, the puzzling Unidentified Flying Objects. The sound effects give the feel of being in an outer space, which adds to the thrill and excitement. Special interactive sessions for students are also organized here. The Planetarium also conducts a popular course on Astronomy and Astrophysics.

The B M Birla Science Museum was the second phase of the Science Centre and it was opened in 1990. Birla Science Museum has various sections, each section presenting an amazing set of exhibits, each dedicated to a specialised field. These are Interactive Science Section, Archaeology and dolls museum, Nobel Gallery, Antarctica Diorama, NRSA, Dwaraka Diorama, IEEE and Dinosaurium.

Interactive Science Centre is one of the many sections where exhibits are designed on the basis of various Physics laws, mechanics, perception, vibration and sounds, energy and motors, electricity and magnetism and intriguing concepts of optical illusions and many other concepts. Another popular section is the Archaeology and Dolls Museum, which displays a range of excavated materials from pre, early historic and Megalithic Periods along with various manuscripts including palm leaf manuscripts, carvings, paintings, temple wares, etc.

Another Section, Dinosaurium is something to look forward too. It is a truly breathtaking facility which displays a rare and magnificent fossil of the Dinosaur, Kotasaurus, belonging to the Lower Jurassic age, going back to about 160 million years. It has been put up in a natural and dynamic posture and measures about 14 m in length and over 5 m in height. The fossils were collected from Yamanpalli in the Adilabad district of Telangana. There is also an electronic section which explores the fascinating world of scientific developments.

Nirmala Birla Art Gallery is one more interesting section at the Planetarium complex and was started in 2003. This art gallery displays a huge collection of various beautifully creations. Among the modern sculptures, a huge bronze figure by the famous sculptor Meera Mukherjee is of outstanding importance.

Planetarium Timings: 11:30 AM to 8 PM and is closed on the last Thursday of every month and will be open only from 3 PM on the 2nd and last Friday of every month for maintenance.
Science Museum Timings: 10:30 AM to 8 PM.

Art Gallery Timings: 10:30 AM to 8 PM.

Entry Fee: Rs.80 for Planetarium, Rs. 80 for Science Museum, Rs. 75 for Art Gallery, Rs. 150 for Combo (Planetarium + Science Museum), and Rs. 200 for Combo (Planetarium + Science Museum + Art Gallery)

Show Timings: English - 11:30 AM, 4 PM, 6 PM; Telugu - 12:15 PM, 3 PM, 5 PM, 6:45 PM and Hindi - 7:30 PM.