A museum dedicated to the country’s 5,000-year maritime history will be set up in Gujarat’s Lothal by the Culture Ministry in collaboration with the Ministry of Shipping, Port and Waterways (MoSPW).

The two Ministries on Wednesday inked a Memorandum of Understanding for ‘Cooperation in Development of National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) at Lothal, Gujarat. According to a statement from the Culture Ministry, the world-class facility will be developed in the vicinity of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) site in Lothal, located about 80 km away from Ahmedabad.

NMHC would be developed as an international tourist destination where the maritime heritage of India -- from ancient to modern times -- would be showcased and an edutainment approach using the latest technology would be adopted to spread awareness about the country’s maritime heritage, it said.

The NMHC project has been taken up under the unique and innovative projects category of the Sagarmala programme under MoSPW. The Government of Gujarat has transferred 375 acres of land in Saragvada village on lease for 99 years at a token rate to MoSPW.

“The complex will be showcasing the thousands of year old maritime strength of India,” said Culture Minister Prahlad Patel.

Renowned architect Hafeez Contractor has been selected as the Principal Project Consultant to prepare a master plan and requisite design and engineering documents for inviting EPC tenders and project management consultancy.

NMHC would be developed in an area of about 400 acres with various unique structures such as the National Maritime Heritage Museum, lighthouse museum, heritage theme park, museum-themed hotels, maritime-themed eco-resorts and maritime institute among others which would be developed in a phased manner.

The unique feature of NMHC is the recreation of ancient Lothal city, which was one of the prominent cities of the Indus valley

civilization.

“NMHC is to be developed as a first of its kind in the country dedicated to the legacy of the maritime heritage of India, to showcase India’s rich and diverse maritime glory,” Mansukh Mandaviya, the Minister of MoPSW said during the signing ceremony.

The museum is set to be completed in three years from the date the project commences.

As a part of the museum, 14 galleries have been proposed to exhibit the evolution of India’s maritime heritage during various eras.

Key galleries include mythologies and wilderness of Indian Ocean, Harappans: The Pioneer Master Seafarers, Indian Ocean: an Interactive Sphere, India’s contact with the Roman World: The Quest for the Spice, Trade, Commerce and Cultural Interaction with China and South-East Asia.

Artefacts from Lothal and Dholavira will also be displayed at the NMHC complex.