Gargoti Museum in Malegaon

You might be aware of the museums that have the artifacts and other pieces of arts which reflect the nostalgic feel left by the ancestors. But are you aware of a museum that is rich with spiky crystals of colorful minerals in India? Then you are in for a surprise on your visit to Gargoti Museum.


Gargoti museum in Malegaon is an innovative mineral museum which is primarily dedicated to zeolites. This museum is located at the MIDC or Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation and is located 32 kms away from Nashik. The term ‘Gargoti’ refers to flint stone in Marathi language. This is the only mineral museum which is constructed and owned by a single person, Mr. K C Pande, a mineral lover and retired naval officer.

One can find an array of display of dazzling stones that are precious and semi precious in nature such as ruby, amethyst, emerald, tourmaline, topaz and aquamarine at display in this museum. Unlike the well polished and refined look of the usual shiny gems, you will find uncut and unpolished stones in its natural form in this museum. The popularity about this mineral museum located at Malegaon is so huge that some of its exhibits are also displayed in some of the most prestigious museums in the world like the British Museum, Carnegie Museum and Smithsonian Museum.

Gargoti Museum: The House of zeolites

The Gargoti museum is considered as a best one of its kind across the world that houses a huge collection of zeolites that are actually micro porous crystals in solid form which feature rich structures that are similar to precious stones like diamonds, but do not possess similar hardness.  The connoisseurs of zeolites love the museum as the vast collection of aesthetically displayed stones leaves them enthralled.

The kinds of zeolites that are on display are scolecite, powellite, apophyllite, natrolite, cavansite, chabazite, heulandite, stilbite, mesolite etc. Such interesting specimens are collected from the stone quarries that are located at the Deccan Trap and other areas of Jalgaon. As zeolites are uncut and not polished the natural beauty of these stones are held within. The delicate zeolite stones are arranged neatly in various geometrical shapes that are fragile in nature and vivid shades with apt classification for each. The unique shapes of the precious stones found in the Gargoti museum is owing to the fact that they are formed by immersing the volcanic rocks of different chemical composition.

The Gargoti museum in Malegaon has the most precious zeolites in the world as it is acquired from the Deccan Traps is a biggest volcanic province that has zeolites of superior grade. The museum acquires the minerals through various methods such as dynamite blasting that is performed under the supervision of experts. The zeolites that are procured from the site are later washed, chiseled and cut by expert craftsmen before they are displayed.  Each display of precious and semi precious stones are explained through a detailed footnote that explains about the origin, importance and other trivial details which makes the Gargoti Museum a perfect spot for field trips and educational visits.

Two major galleries of Gargoti museum

The Gargoti Museum features two different galleries such as The Deccan Plateau and The Prestige Gallery.

The Deccan Plateau

The Deccan Plateau of Gargoti Museum houses some of the best zeolites in India. This gallery is located on the ground floor of the museum and houses over 1700 exhibits of rare zeolites and intricate specimens. This gallery has two separate shelves dedicated for calcite minerals and cavancite minerals which are very colorful derived from Deccan. There si also another cabinet that has the special collection of dinosaur fossils.

The Prestige Gallery

This gallery of the Gargoti museum features some of the stunning minerals that are the best ones among the international and national levels. The first floor of the prestige gallery features the Parliament House that features a semi circular shape and offers a glimpse of the sea of minerals found here. The Indian map that is made with fully natural stone is a main feature of attraction in this floor. You can also find some rare foreign minerals such as the blue green aquamarine, unique diamonds, yellow calcite crystals and light green apophyllite in a cube shape. The museum also has a souvenir shop within it where you can find interesting pieces of necklaces, bracelets, pendants, gem trees of precious and semi precious stones, specimen made with minerals, posters, postcards and lapidary items.

Main Attractions of Gargoti Museum

You will find a big stature of Mother India welcoming you at the entrance of the Gargoti Museum. There are many onyx at display, many statues of Lord Mahavir, Ganesha and others carved from clear quartz, a bug sized Ganesha statue carved from Rose Quartz, statues of Ganesha and Buddha made from ruby and zoisite, many shivalingams found in the Narmada River and a colorful dome that as the world map drawn over it at this Malegaon Museum. Make sure that you do not miss the eggs and bones of the 65 year old dinosaur fossil retrieved from Dahod in Gujarat.


The Gargoti museum is open on all days throughout the year, The entry fee for this wonderful mineral museum is Rs. 100 for an adult including guide charges and Rs. 50 if you are group of three or more people.

Getting there:

As the Gargoti museum is located at the MIDC in Malegaon, it is well connected to the roadways that make it easy for you to take a car, taxi or hire an auto rickshaw to reach the museum from anywhere in Malegaon. The address of this splendid mineral museum of Malegaon is:
Superb Minerals India Pvt. Ltd.
"Gargoti" The Mineral Museum
Address: D-59, MIDC, Malegaon, Sinnar Maharashtra , India -422113
Phones: 02551-230865, 230528, 02551-230866
Fax: 0253-2414598
Website: www.gargoti.com, www.superbminerals.com