Bunker Museum

A decade old heritage bunker turned into a museum, the Bunker Museum in Mumbai, Maharashtra, is a British architecture constructed underground for the purpose of defense. Displaying old rooms and a virtual reality booth to take you back in time, the Bunker Museum is a unique place and must be experienced at least once.

About the Museum

Inaugurated on 18th August 2019 by President Ram Nath Kovind, the Bunker Museum in Mumbai is not just a museum but a heritage property thrown into the light. The magnificent structure of the Raj Bhawan in Mumbai had a bunker underground from the time of the British era which was discovered by the then Governor CH. Vidyasagar Rao in August 2016. Having remained closed and unattended for more than six decades, the bunker had suffered severe wear and tear because of the leakage from the overhead lawn.

Spreading in an area of 15,000 square ft., the thematic underground bunker museum can be visited through prior online booking. The fascinating part about the Bunker Museum is that it has Virtual Reality Booths which allow the visitors to virtually time travel to the 19th century when the bunker was built to fire cannons at the imminent enemy ships. In another section, visitors can find a detailed description of the Raj Bhawan through documents, photographs, and papers.

A part of the bunker lies below the ‘’Jal Bhushan’’, the office and residence of the Governor, so it was crucial that the reformation and conservation of the bunker should be done in a way that it could be visited by the general public without harming the safety and security of the building and the Governor’s house. After a strategic audit of the bunker took place, the work for the renovation began which included grouting, water-proofing, electrification, air-conditioning, and the curation of the museum. The bunker has 13 rooms of distinct sizes and opens with a 20-feet tall gate. Upon opening, visitors will find old rooms named Shell Store, Gun Shell, Cartridge Store, Shell Lift, Pump, Central Artillery Store, Workshop, etc. The whole bunker already had a proper drainage system and inlets for fresh air and light that were constructed by the Britishers. While renovating, it was ensured that the authenticity of the bunker was kept intact and an interactive museum can be developed by incorporating virtual reality on the themes of the Cannon-firing experience, history of Raj Bhawan, and a foretaste of the major forts of Maharashtra. Panoramas of cannons and soldiers, optical illusions of a bunker of infinite length, and cannons have also been formed inside the museum for a fun experience.