Hall of Fame Museum: A Tribute to the Brave Indian Soldiers

Leh Ladakh, the paradisical land is home to a plethora of experiences and adventures and without a doubt that is why Leh Ladakh tour packages are in demand these days. Ladakh is abode to a myriad of attractions and landmarks and one such attraction is a museum. 

Museum: A building where historical, cultural, scientific and specific themed objects are kept for the public interest. There are over millions of museums all around the world, all of which are dedicated to people who are interested in that specific topic or theme.

Museums, in the modern world, are the gateway to unparalleled knowledge and information and have become an important part of tourism too. In today’s world, there are some museums which showcase or don a particular theme and, at times, even showcase the timeline of a particular event. 

Museums are an integral part of any tourist destination across India too. Though India has a plethora of museums, but one such museum which has gained popularity very quickly is the Hall Of Fame, which is dedicated to the fallen soldiers of the Indian Army during the wars with Pakistan. This is one of the museums which stands for something that we all should be aware of and proud of. 

About The Hall Of Fame Museum, Leh

How To Reach The Hall Of Fame, Leh

The museum is located on the Leh-Kargil highway, which is at a distance of 4 kilometres from the centre of Leh town. From the Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport in Leh, the museum is at a distance of only 2.1 kilometres. You can either rent a taxi/cab or reach the museum by any two or four wheeler.

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When can you visit the Hall Of Fame Museum?

You can visit from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM in the morning and 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM in the evening. The museum is open for visitors throughout the year. So you can always include this in your Leh Ladakh itinerary whenever you plan to visit. 

The entry fee is as low as 50 Rupees per head and an additional 100 Rupees in case you wish to capture the glory of Indian Army through your camera lenses. 

Fun Fact: When at the Hall Of Fame Museum, you must also visit the nearby attractions like the Zanskar river, which is one of the most beautiful lakes in Leh Ladakh.

What’s Inside The Museum?

When in the museum you will find everything that you need to go back in time and revisit the events that unfolded during the devastating war time. 

Here you will find arms, ammunitions, uniforms and even personal letters of the fallen soldiers. 

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Section dedicated to Ladakhi people

The first section is primarily about the cultures, traditions, cuisines of Ladakh’s local people and their lifestyle. 

The history, flaura and fauna of the region can be explored here. There is a wall about the Namgyal Dynasty of Ladakh which the Basgo King, Bhagan, founded.

Sino-Indian War Gallery

A complete section is dedicated to the Sino-Indian War which took place between India and China around the Siachen glacier. 

The war was fought at a height above 4000 meters on the disputed Himalayan border shared between the two nations in the year 1962. However, China declared a ceasefire and returned back to its declared ‘Line of Actual control’.

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Lest we Forgot

Another wall named as the ‘Lest we Forgot’ has pictures of many martyrs who have fought in various wars across the border and lost their lives while protecting the nation. 

This wall is a reminder of all the brave soldiers who laid down their lives while protecting the nation from foreign aggressions.

The Kargil War Gallery

Indians are well aware of the Kargil War which took place in the duration of May to July 1999 between India and Pakistan. A large part of the museum is dedicated to the Kargil war. 

There is a wall displaying the images clicked in the Kargil war-fields of 1999. It will give you a feel of the real scenarios in which the Indian Army must have fought.

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Gallery of Arms and Ammunition

Enter the room gallery which showcases the full might of the Indian Army – The Gallery of Arms and Ammunitons.  The upper floor is dedicated to the arms and ammunitions used by the Indian Army during wars. Also the large number of weapons of the Pakistan Army recovered from Kargil war-zones are displayed in this museum. It is a reminder of the Indian Army’s bravery on the battle-fields and a sense of pride for all Indian nationals indeed! Be it handguns, rifles, snipers, armors and much more, the Gallery of Arms and Ammunitions has it all. So if you’re someone who’s a firearms enthusiast, then this is the place to be at. 

High Altitude gears used by the Soldiers

Want to know how the soldiers used to survive in the high altitude harsh environment? Well, this is where you’ll be able to see it all, you will also get to see the conditions in which the Indian army soldiers have to survive in harsh mountainous locations like the Siachen region. The section displays the type of apparel, the temporary accommodations and different gears used by the army troops to survive in the cold frontiers of the Siachen and Karakoram borders. Some images and models display how the troops are trained to climb ice walls and fight in areas of lowest oxygen availability.

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Documentary film screening on ‘Operation Vijay’

Another section on the ground floor screens a documentary film for the visitors. The film is based on the “Operation Vijay” of the Kargil war and is screened on a projector inside the museum. Operation Vijay was a mission of the Indian Army to clear the Kargil valley of all kinds of infiltrations and Pakistan Army’s invasion beyond the LOC.

A special mention in the film is that of Captain Vijayant Thapar who was martyred during the war and also received the Vir Chakra, an Indian gallantry award presented for acts of bravery on the battlefield. A letter written by the officer to his family before going to the war has been displayed on a wall labeled as ‘The Last Post’. The courageous words in that letter will definitely give you goosebumps.

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Buy Souvenirs as memories to carry back

A corner of the ground floor has a souvenir shop where visitors can shop for mugs, T-shirts, shawls, etc as a memory from the museum. You can even rent a traditional Ladakhi attire to strike a pose like a local to add a Ladakhi touch to your Instagram feed. 

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Backyard attractions of the Hall of Fame

Outdoor area of the Museum premises has a play setup in the pattern of a military camp for the little visitors to explore and enjoy. It would add to some amusement of the kids visiting here.

This premise has the ability to take you back in time and make you experience the entire timeline of the India Pakistan War. With so much to witness this is one of the places that you just cannot miss when in Leh Ladakh, so hurry and start your Ladakh quest and explore this museum, a man made marvel like no other.