India’s maritime history dates back more than 5,000 years. Residents of the Indus Valley civilisation used to trade with Mesopotamia at the beginning of the third millennium BCE. The Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways is constructing the National Maritime Heritage Complex to showcase the country’s rich and varied maritime history.
The location of NMHC has been aptly chosen and it is coming up fast in Gujarat’s Lothal region which was part of Indus Valley civilisation
Lothal located 76 kilometres from Ahmedabad, interestingly, was a prominent city of the Indus Valley and archaeologists discovered the oldest man-made dockyard here which is more than 5,000 years old.
Describing NHMC as a major project under Union Government’s Sagarmala scheme, the Union Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said that it has an edutainment approach. He said: “By using the latest technology, maritime heritage will be projected in a user-friendly manner to spread awareness among people.”
To be built in three phases, the project will be executed at a cost of Rs.3,000 crore.
Phase 1A will include the building of a part of the museum complex with five galleries and a naval gallery which will be used by the Indian Navy and Coast Guard. The Phase 1B envisages completion of the museum including the remaining galleries, Light House, 5D Dome Theatre, Bagicha Complex and other infrastructure.
The National Maritime Hertiage Centre at Lothal, Gujarat will showcase India’s maritime history.
The States Pavilion, Lothal City, Maritime Institute including hostel, eco resorts, maritime and naval theme park, climate change theme park, monument theme park, and adventure and amusement park will be built in Phase 2.