India Seashell Museum — Attraction in Tamil Nadu

India Seashell Museum, Mahabalipuram

Enter fee for museum - INR 300

Entry fee for aquarium - INR 50

Camera fee : INR 100

Timings - 08:00 AM to 08:00 PM

Location - Just 1.5 km away from Panch Rathas

One of the most popular tourist attractions in Mahabalipuram, Indian Seashell Museum is famous amongst people of all age groups. The museum is forts of its kind in India and the largest one India. On display are around 40,000 kinds of shells along with details about them. These shells have been collected by K Raja Mohamed, the founder of the museum. The museum also has oysters and snails with information about their sizes and origin. There are car, ship, train, plane, etc. made from shell, which has been put on display. There are four galleries.

The museum also has a shopping centre, called Maya bazaar, where visitors can get their hands on different interesting items that are made from sea products such as oysters and conch shells. The place has beautiful pearl jewelry. There is also a small aquarium in the complex, called Fish World, which houses colorful fishes. There is a seafood restaurant too, Fresh ‘n Live Sea Food. The museum complex is spread in an area one and a half acres of land.

Fascinated by picking up seashells during a walk on the beach? Find a massive collection of around 40,000 of them at the India Sea Shell Museum in Mahabalipuram. Raja Mohammad, the founder of the India Sea Shell Museum started collecting shells when he was only a child. Travelling to different countries and collecting seashells from all over the world, the museum is now home to 6,000 different species of seashells. The founder’s son Mohammad Rizwan tells us that the seashells are from countries all over the world such as Mexico, Australia, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. Looking colourful and grand (with a giant octopus and even conch statue), the museum is situated right in front of the beach. Don’t miss the entrance which is found directly opposite the pancha rathas (Shore Temples) in Mahabalipuram.

There are four galleries at the museum and you will learn something new with a tidbit of information along with all the seashells on display. We found a cool model train built with oyster shells in Gallery 1. Pay attention to the detail in the model right from the buffers to the piston and the chimney too. This model is completely hand-made and took six months to build, apparently. Similar to this train, you will find models of an aeroplane and a car, made with seashells in the other galleries as well as fossils, shark teeth and whale fins on display. The collection is splendid and doesn’t forget to have a look at the fascinating story of how pearls are formed in oysters in Gallery 3 and the Australian Trumpet in Gallery 4, the largest seashell in the world! Initially started in 2013, the seashell museum has been recently renovated with new exciting developments.

While the museum is one of the attractions, there is an aquarium (Fish World) to visit which also houses Maya Bazaar, the souvenir shop. While the aquarium is relatively smaller with few species of fish, the souvenir shop is certainly a treat, selling elegant jewellery and artefacts made solely from seashells, and even a traditional sangu (conch) can be found here. The Fresh & Live Sea Restaurant, with a wonderful ambience, specialises in seafood and you can even slurp on the usual ice cream or bite into a quick snack as well.

So, make sure to set aside a few hours when visiting this spectacle and you will not be...

This is not a positive review!

The Indian Seashell museum is a private museum at Mahabalipuram. When you make a trip to mahabalipuram your intention is to visit the historical stone works there and yeah those archaeological monuments worth watch. But this museum is a sheer business where, i must admit, you can see very good infrastructure and nothing more. You wont find anything really worth as a museum there by paying Rs. 300 as combo entry pass. you have two options: Either take a combo pass of Rs 300 ( allows you to enter in all the five museums) or take individual tickets for each museum which will have a total of 500. My suggestion is never go for the 300 combo pass, because it is a waste of money. I found only the Seashell museum and Perl museum worth watching. For sea shell museum you have the Rs 100 pass and pearl museum you have a Rs 50 pass. i'll explain ( i will be posting the photo of the entry fee displayed at the entrance) First they have a Mineral Museum and Mini Asia. The entry fee is 100. It is a waste of money. I advice don't visit there, because the mini Asia is nothing but a hall just decorated with some sea shell and nothing more. Not even air conditioned. They won't allow you to click photos even with mobile phone without paying an extra of Rs. 100 ( never take that pass..lol) and mineral museum is just a 5-6 boxes where you will find 7-8 stones and nothing more. So i advice you to avoid the Mini asia ( But i would say if you are going with kids, they might enjoy but still i say it is just a mini hall decorated with some statues and other decors of sea shell. Sea shell museum: you will be able to see so many varieties of sea shell and if interested you can visit (rs. 100) Fish Aquarium: (Rs. 50) yeah, you will certainly see some fish as in the case of any aquarium. 4: Perl museum : (Rs. 50) if you wanna see different kinds of pearls you can visit this. I found it interesting. 5: Dinosaur Museum: (Rs. 200) God ! you know well that they cant have any real thing of a dinosaur there. But kids will enjoy. apart from this you will find a shop to purchase pearl there.

In my opinion, only the sea shell museum and pearl museum are worth watching and take separate ticket for them which will cost only 150, but i suggest this only because you came to Mahabalipuram as a trip. In my humble opinion you can better avoid this museum, and spend your time with the historical monuments there. But yeah, I take it for granted that you are interested...

🐚 Hidden Gem in India – A Must-Visit for Marine Life Enthusiasts!

This place deserves more attention! I was pleasantly surprised to discover a museum in India dedicated to shells, marine life, and minerals. Based on the images online, I didn’t realize how extensive and enriching the experience would be until I visited.

As a Zoology student, I was absolutely mesmerized by the vast collection of:

-Shells and exoskeletons of marine organisms -Echinoderm endoskeletons -Oyster pearls and coral specimens -Displays on boats and shipmaking traditions

This is not just a destination for children—it’s a paradise for learners, educators, and nature lovers, offering a deep dive into marine biodiversity.

🌟 Highlights:

Mostly clean and accessible washrooms – hygienically maintained and easy to locate. A reasonably priced gift shop- provide a creative selection of shell-based jewelry and souvenirs. Affordable entry tickets A stunning collection of marine specimens

💡 Suggestions for Enhancement:

Infrastructure updates– some areas could benefit from renovation and better technology which may be possible with increased financial and institutional support. More washrooms– a few additional facilities and infra improvement would provide more convenience. Educational resources– a well-designed guidebook or souvenir book on the shell collection would be a valuable takeaway for enthusiasts and students. Guides – having more knowledgeable staff on-site could enhance the learning experience through guided tours or interactive storytelling. Institutional collaboration will greatly help expand the scope of this place. Live aquatic exhibit – while it's a wonderful idea, the current space seemed a bit cramped for the fishes. Improving tank sizes or reducing the number of species could offer a better quality of life for the animals and a more natural viewing experience for visitors.

🧭 Final Thoughts:

This museum has immense educational and tourism potential. With a bit more public engagement, marketing, and institutional support, it could become a landmark destination for marine education in India.

If you’re someone who loves the ocean, biodiversity, or simply unique experiences—don’t miss this...