Museum extension proposal awaits masterplan

Paro: The 40-year-old national museum in Paro will get a major makeover by the end of 2013 if the government endorses the master plan for the extension of the museum worth Nu 350 million this year.

The extension proposal includes a souvenir shop, five exhibition halls, a cafeteria and, a separate natural history gallery and a tribal history gallery within the nine-acre museum area.

The director of the national museum, Khenpo Phuntsok Tashi, said that the project of the museum extension was proposed after an intensive research. He said that the souvenir shop would offer visitors a variety of goods that include replicas of the famous horse egg and a three-dimensional mandala. “Visitors, who want to relax for a while, could also drop into the cafeteria,” he said.

The museum plans to attract at least 0.2 million visitors by the end of the 10th five year plan and generate more income, according to the museum director.

The director told Kuensel that every year the museum receives around 25,000 foreign visitors and the number is increasing by 30 to 35 percent every year. “In a year, about Nu 2 million revenue is generated through the visitors’ fee alone,” he said. “The museum, if extended, is capable of generating more income.”

The national museum was built from the renovation of the 350-year-old Ta dzong and formally opened in 1968. Officials said that the museum has in its possession over 5,000 works of Bhutanese art, covering more than 1,500 years of Bhutan’s cultural heritage. “With separate natural history and tribal history galleries, visitors will receive much more information on our country’s culture and history,” said Khempo Phuntshok Tashi. “For the tribal history gallery, we’ll be showcasing the different cultures in Merak-Sakteng, Laya, Lingshi, Doga and much more.”

As part of the major extension, a Nu 20.5 million project, with assistance from the Indian government, is also under progress. “The construction of the exhibition halls and the administration block will soon be completed,” said director Khempo Phuntshok Tashi.