Ahmedabad’s Aquatic Gallery in Gujarat Science City draws crowds in droves

The whole objective of making learning science as a fun and enjoyable activity seems to have been achieved when one looks at the vast crowd of people, especially children having an immersive experience at Ahmedabad’s Gujarat Science City.

Among the top draw of the Science City is the Aquatic Gallery – claimed to be the largest public aquarium in India — while other attractions like the Hall of Space, Hall of Science, Energy Education Park, Life Science Park, the Planet Earth pavilion, children’s activity centre, simulated thrill rides, musical fountain and amphitheatre, too are equally interesting and engaging.

The Aquatic Gallery which also houses the country’s first IMAX 3D theatre was virtually inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with the Robotics Gallery in June 2021. It is divided into five sections where one can get a glimpse of 188 species of creatures and 11,800 fishes all under one roof. These sections are Indian, Asian, African, American, and Oceanic.

This particular gallery covers an area of more than 15,000 square metres and boasts of species like starfish, crabs, lobsters, penguins, and amphibians. The presence of different species of marine and freshwater fish in varied colours makes the place resemble a fairyland.

One of the top attractions of the Aquatic Gallery which is one of the 650 exhibits spread across nine different sites — is a walkway which is 28 metres long.

Another feature which draws people is the presence of four different species of sharks – the top marine predator. These include the white-tip, black-tip and lemon shark and the recently introduced sandbar shark.

Visitors, including children are greatly drawn to the elegant penguins brought from South Africa and coypus, the large, herbivorous, semi-aquatic which are native to South America.

After enjoying all this, visitors can relax at the aquatic themed cafeteria to enjoy snacks and beverages or have a grand meal onboard a ship and also shop for mementos at the souvenir shop to remind them of their trip.

The Gujarat Council of Science City was established by the Gujarat Government as a society in 1999, to build the Gujarat Science City. It is an autonomous body under the Department of Science & Technology.