Sulabh International Museum of Toilets, Delhi

Dedicated to the global history of sanitation and toilets, ‘Sulabh International Museum of Toilets’ in Delhi is run by the Sulabh International. This museum is known for being one of the weirdest museums among the 10 museums around the world that are anything but mundane.

It was established in the year 1992 by Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, a social activist and founder of Sulabh Sanitation and Social Reform Movement. He is a recipient of national and international awards including the Stockholm Water Prize in 2009. His objective behind establishing this museum was to highlight the need to address the problems of the sanitation sector in our country and considering the efforts made in various parts of the world in sanitation since the third millennium BC.

The museum that has exhibits taken from 50 different countries and are arranged sequentially in three sections of Ancient, Medieval and Modern age, according to the period of the sanitation artifacts that are collected from 3000 BC till the 20th century end.

This museum brings out the development of the sanitation/toilet related technology of the entire gamut of human history, etiquettes specific to the existing sanitary situation, social habits and the legal framework in different periods. The items that are displayed in the museum include privies, decorated Victorian toilet seats, chamber pots, toilet furniture and water closets in vogue since from 1145 AD to till date and also the display boards that have poetry related to the toilet and its use.

The museum holds some of the interesting and amusing objects and information charts on display that are:

• A reproduction of a commode in the form of a treasure chest of the British medieval period
• A reproduction of the toilet of King Louis XIV which is reported to be used by the king to defecate while holding court
• A toilet that is camouflaged as a bookcase
• Information on the technology transfer from Russia to NASA to convert urine into potable water, a deal of $19 million
• Display boards with comics, jokes and cartoons related to humor on toilets
• Toilet pots that are made of gold and silver used by the Roman emperors
• Complete information about the flush pot designed in 1596 by Sir John Harington during Queen Elizabeth I's regime
• A showcase of the  sewerage system that existed during the Harappan Civilization
• Historical information from the Lothal archeological site during the Indus Valley Civilization on the development of toilets

By: Aishwarya Sharma

Content: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulabh_International_Museum_of_Toilets