Arna – Jharna Desert Museum

The Arna-Jharna Desert Museum is definitely one of the unique places to visit in Jodhpur. The name “Arna-Jharna” literally means Jungle and Spring. This museum is one of the most interesting and out-of-the-box places. It is worth a visit at least once if you are in Jodhpur. The museum is panned across a large outdoor space in a desert area, which was previously an abandoned sandstone mine. Tourists include the Arna-Jharna Desert Museum tour in many JODHPUR TOUR PACKAGES.

Arna-Jharna Desert Museum specialty

As mentioned previously, the museum is a celebration of the expanse and prowess of the desert land itself. It situates in the village of Moklawas. Another name of this museum is Arna Jharna indeed. The establishment of this Thar Desert Museum was in the year 2000, and the formulation of the idea of this unique kind of a museum occurred by one of India’s largest folklorists and ethnomusicologists, Komal Kothari. This museum pays tribute to local culture, folk culture, and oral traditions, which, unfortunately, are already on the brink of becoming extinct indeed. 

Inside the Arna-Jharna Desert Museum

The Arna – Jharna Desert Museum is a very carefully and mindfully executed form of a great idea indeed. The expansion of this museum is across 10 acres of land. And even exhibits items like Folk music instruments that are no longer used and produced, like the ‘Jantar,’ ‘Jogia Sarangi,’ and ‘Nagfani.’ Other instruments like ‘Ravanahatta,’ ‘Gujratan Sarangi,’ ‘Sindhi Sarangi’ and the ‘Surinda’ are also present in the collection.

The museum features many artists and groups with whom visitors can indulge and enjoy the traditional music and dance of the communities. The museum also has a collection of brooms extensively from Rajasthan, along with information about broom production and the risks associated with it or the various folklore associated with brooms and other artifacts. Another module or section of the Arna-Jharna Desert Museum consists of different types of pottery, followed by a section dedicated to the popular and authentic Rajasthani puppet shows, often locally known as “Kathputli ka Khel.” 

Importance of this Museum

Owing to the fact that the Arna-Jharna Desert Museum boasts of being a ‘live museum,’ which was Komal Kothari’s vision, the museum retains all-natural and scenic elements of the desert land. The biodiversity of the land, the water bodies, and the harvesting projects in the area all are an active, interactive learning process that one can witness and also can take part in.
Many researchers and travel enthusiasts are awed by this museum owing to the number of things that can be learned from this place about Rajasthan that no textbook will ever offer.