Situated off the coast of Kathiawar near the Port of Veraval in Gujarat, the newly formed Union Territory of Daman and Diu used to be a Portuguese colony from 1593 to 1961. With no tall buildings except the fort, Diu has a characteristically low skyline. The museums in Diu have a distinctive attraction to them. The purpose of a museum is to collect artefacts of cultural, religious and historical importance, preserve them and conduct further research into them and present them to the public for education. The museums in Diu does just that by imparting elements from history that speak about the cultural heritage of Diu. The galleries of the museum showcase the transformations that took place in Diu from Portuguese rule to the British era. There are two main museums that attract a throng of tourists to explore the history of Diu.
The Diu Museum
Located near the Diu Fort, the Diu Museum has been set up inside the old Portuguese Baroque church of St. Thomas and is thus known as the St. Thomas Church museum. With an impressive Gothic architecture, the church was built in the year 1598. The church was later converted into a museum, which houses a number of antiques and stone inscriptions of ancient rulers. The museum also exhibits shadow clocks, intricate wooden carvings and statues, many of which were excavated from this region. The most impressive of the lot is the 400 year old marble and wooden statues of St. Thomas and St. Benedict. The stone remnant of a Jain temple, which was originally located at the site, also adorns the museum.
The Sea Shell Museum
Situated 6 km from the town of Diu on Nagoa Road, is the Sea Shell Museum, which is famed for housing the largest collection of sea shells in Asia. The museum houses the vast personal collection of sea shells of a sailor named Captain Devjibhai Vira Fulbari, who sailed all over the world for over 50 years and collected thousands of sea shells. The shells are labelled in English and the collection also includes reading materials on the history of shells. Visitors are provided with magnifying glasses to have a closer look at the shells and differentiate between cowrie and poisonous cone shells. The collection of sea shells in the museum ranges from 2500 to 3000.
Visiting Information on the Museums of Diu
The nearest railway station in Diu is located at Veraval. The Diu airport is closest and connects the town to other major cities of the country by air.
