Indian Naval Maritime Museum

Located in Kochi, Kerala, the Naval Maritime Museum is a keeper of the Indian Naval history and illustrates the glorious past of the Kerala and Indian maritime through models, artillery, and uniforms on display.

About the Museum

A museum dedicated to the naval history of India and its operations, the Naval Maritime Museum is situated inside the premises of INS Dronacharya, the Navy’s gunnery and missile school in Fort Kochi. Established in 2001 to create consciousness about the maritime history of India, the museum has been set up in two invigorated ammunition bunkers constructed before World War II and induces a sense of pride and admiration.

The museum displays the exhibits in two bunkers where one bunker showcases the maritime history of Kerala and the other one deals with the past and progression of the Indian Navy. Upon visiting the museum, you will witness the history unfurling in front of you not only through the models, but artifacts, naval ceremonial symbols, and dresses, the paintings and the frescos too, play an integral role in making the exhibition comprehensive and educative. The models and artifacts on display here trace the naval history of India back to the Indus Valley Civilization and covers the topic such as trade links with the Arab, Portuguese, and the Dutch, phases in Indian maritime history with details of old and modern sea routes, ports in India, and the emergence of the Port of Kochi.

Some of the most prominent exhibits in this museum include an illustrious map of the route taken by the Westerners to reach our coasts, an oil painting of ‘San Gabriel’ which was the flagship of Vasco Da Gama in which he sailed to Beypore harbor in 1498. Other items on display are models of some Portuguese explorers and our sea warrior Kunjali Marakka who fought against the Portuguese Navy, the ‘Dhow-boat’ that the Khalasis of Beypore used to build in Kozhikode district, and the literature about the ship construction that leave the visitors in wonder. The Naval Maritime Museum in Kochi also extensively describes the evolution, growth, and the exploitation of the Indian Navy in chronological order along with a separate section named ‘Navy in Action’ which illustrates the contributions of the naval forces after the independence period such as the Indo-Pak conflict of 1965 and 1971, Goa Liberation, Kargil War, etc. One other section that often makes the visitors emotional, displays flags, rank badges, and naval regalia along with mementos presented to the Naval officers by their Pakistani counterparts during the partition which has the inscription that says ‘’Goodbye and Good Luck.

Do not forget to explore the exhibits housed outside the museum on the well-manicured lawns. The display comprises war memorabilia such as huge missiles, radars, depth charges, mines, guns used in warships, etc. models of warships, torpedoes, rocket launchers, and anti-aircraft guns are also put to showcase.