'Sky full of stars' abuzz with visitors in Hyderabad's Birla Planetarium

Apart from the gripping cosmic space show, visitors can also browse the Dinosaurium, the Space and Science Museum, and the Modern Art Gallery, situated on the same premises.
The skeletal remains of Kotasaurus Yamanpalliensis at the Dinosaurium. (Photo | S Senbagapandiyan, EPS)
The skeletal remains of Kotasaurus Yamanpalliensis at the Dinosaurium. (Photo | S Senbagapandiyan, EPS)

HYDERABAD: After a lull of almost nine months owing to the Covid-induced lockdown, the Birla Planetarium in Hyderabad is back in action. Skygazers can return to enjoy the enthralling cosmic space show at the Dome Theatre in the planetarium, which gives the viewers a glimpse into the mysteries of the universe. 

Apart from the gripping cosmic space show, visitors can also browse the Dinosaurium, the Space and Science Museum, and the Modern Art Gallery, situated on the same premises.

A place which remained completely deserted for several months, the planetarium has now started witnessing the hustle and bustle of visitors, after the resumption of the sky show. 

“Though the planetarium reopened on November 25, it did not witness huge footfall of tourists until the resumption of the shows,” said BG Sidharth, director of the Birla Science Centre. 

Visitors watch the cosmic space show at the Birla
Planetarium.

He also mentioned that the planetarium had incurred  ajor losses due to the lockdown. “But, we are now in the process of recovery, as the planetarium has started attracting more visitors,” he said, adding that since the holiday season is approaching, they have planned to organise additional shows.

Starting from 11.30 in the morning, the planetarium presently hosts six 35-minute-long shows daily, of which three are in English and the remaining in Telugu. There are a few additional shows in Hindi as well, based on demand.

A tourist couple The New Indian Express spoke to said: “The planetarium show was mesmerising. It suddenly felt like we were transported to a different place.” 

Another tourist said, “We were locked up at our homes for the past several months.

Even after the relaxation of lockdown norms, we are scared to travel to other tourist places outside the city. It’s nice to have such a nice destination within the city limits. I’ll encourage more people to come here.”

From the Jurassic era

Another major attraction here is the Dinosaurium, which houses the skeletal remains of a 160-million-year-old mounted dinosaur. 

The 16-feet-tall ‘Kotasaurus Yamanpalliensis’, which was found during an excavation by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) in Yamanapalli region of Adilabad district, is still in very good condition and draws the attention of many tourists, says BG Sidharth.

The gigantic skeleton put on display at the Birla Science Centre is made of 80 per cent original dinosaur bone material and 20 per cent artificial material. 

Sidharth says that they will introduce more attractions in both the Space and Science Museum, and the Dinosaurium to woo more tourists. 

All standard operating procedures, prescribed by the government to check the spread of COVID-19, are being followed at the planetarium.

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