Take a walk down the lanes of Varanasi just visiting this museum

If you are in the mood for a 'Banaras Paan' while you are touring the virtual lanes, you can always stop at the digitised paan shop and have one, on the house!

Situated on the banks of the river Ganga at the famous Dashashwamedh Ghat in the 17th century Man Mandir Mahal, it is the first of its kind museum that was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 19, 2019.

"The museum showcases different cultural aspects of the city through the digital medium. The ambience of a street flows seamlessly as the viewer moves from one section to another. There is a laser light show about the mythology and history of the river Ganga, and guests can also engage in virtual activities such as offering diyas," museumsofindia.org said.

The museum is developed by the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) under the supervision of union ministry of culture and further showcases wooden toys, metal products, stone craft, and a puppet show Ramleela.

The museum also has an observatory, made by Sawai Jai Singh, son of Raja Man Singh, on the terrace of Man Mahal to calculate astronomical and astrological data, the website said.

The NCSM has roped in professional photographers to click photographs of iconic places and create high-definition pictures for the museum. It also showcases noted literary figures and artists such as —  tabla maestro Pt Kishan Maharaj, Padma Vibhushan Thumari queen, the late Girija Devi and Bharat Ratna shehnai maestro, the late Bismillah Khan and Munshi Premchand — all part of the virtual reality experience.

“As soon as one enters the museum, one experiences as if one were present at the ghats, walking in lanes,” Dr Neeraj Sinha, Superintending Archaeologist from the Archaeological Survey of India’s Sarnath circle—that looks after the Man Mandir Mahal told Hindustan Time.