All About Smritivan Museum, Shortlisted For UNESCO's Prix Versailles Award

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shared a special note as the Smritivan Museum in Gujarat has been shortlisted for the prestigious Prix Versailles Award,

The museum pays tribute to those who died in the 2021 earthquake in Gujarat. 

Quote-tweeting a post shared by the official page of Prix Versailles on X (formerly Twitter), PM Modi said,  "Smritivan in Kutch is a tribute to those we lost in the tragic earthquake of 2001. It is a reminder of human resilience and courage as well. Glad that this Museum has found a place on the World Selection for the Prix Versailles Museums 2024."

Expressing his delight, Home Minister Amit Shah said, “It is a touching moment for all of us as Smritivan in Kutch finds a place in the prestigious World Selection for the Prix Versailles Museums 2024.”

He added, “Envisioned by PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji, Smritivan is a museum that preserves the memories of the people we lost in the devastating earthquake in 2001. Its inclusion in the World Selection for the Prix Versailles Museums 2024 will spread the fragrance of their memories worldwide.”

5 points about Smritivan Museum

– Smritivan, which means Forest of Memories in English, is built over a vast area of over 470 acres. It is located on a small hill — Bhujiyo Dungar — in Bhuj. 

— As per the official website, the museum “is a place of pilgrimage, a praise for the resilience and reverence of the people of Kutch, and a haven for those who find solace in nature. The memorial consists of a Sun-Point that overlooks the city, the sunrises and the sunsets from atop the Bhujiyo Dungar.”

— It is also the home to the world's largest Miyawaki Forest with over 3 lakh plants.

–  1.1 Megawatt solar power plant has been set up to provide electricity to the museum.

–The Smritivan Earthquake Memorial has 50 check-dam reservoirs that house the name plates of almost 13,000 victims of the 2001 earthquake, the official website stated.