Union Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, inaugurated the first-ever National GST Museum in the historical 400-year-old 'Blue Building', in Panjim, last month. Under the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav Iconic Week’ celebrations of the Ministry of Finance, the Finance Minister dedicated to the nation, the National Museum of Customs, and GST.
Dharohar is housed in Panjim’s famous Blue Building on the banks of the Mandovi River. The two-story building, popularly known as Alfandega, during the period of Portuguese rule in Goa, is more than 400 years old. Dharohar is a vital addition to the Tourism Map of India and a must-see attraction in Goa. So, here are some reasons why you should visit the 'Dharohar' Museum.
- Check out the historical Blue Building that has stood on the banks of the Mandovi River for over 400 years, since the time of the Portuguese in Goa.
- Dharohar, a first-of-its-kind museum, showcases the artifacts seized by Indian Customs across the country.
- Among the artifacts, the notable ones include the handwritten manuscript of Ain-i-Akbari, a replica of Amin pillars, seized metal and stone artifacts, ivory items, and wildlife items. Dharohar also depicts basic customs procedures for the knowledge of the general public.
- Visit eight different galleries in ‘Dharohar’, namely, Introductory Gallery, History of Taxation Gallery, Guardians of Our Economic Frontiers Gallery, Guardians of Our Art & Heritage, Guardians of Flora & Fauna, Custodians of Our Social Well-Being, Journey of Indirect Taxes - Salt Tax with GST and the GST Gallery.
- The tour de force of the Dharohar Museum is a unique ‘Battle of Wits’ gallery, which showcases the cerebral battle between the smugglers and the Customs officers.
- It contains chronicled seizures of antique coins, statues, endangered wildlife, weapons, and narcotics. Moreover, an e-catalog of the museum contains high-resolution pictures of the various items displayed in the museum along with relevant information.
- The most recent addition is in the form of the GST Gallery which showcases the journey of making the Goods and Services Tax, the most historical indirect taxation reform of New India.
- The Gallery chronicles various stages and processes that paved the way for the introduction of the reformed unified indirect taxation in the form of GST on July 1, 2017, beginning with the Atal Behari Vajpayee government initiating discussions on GST in the year 2000.
- The Museum and the e-catalog will be beneficial to visitors as well as scholars of archaeology and ancient history.
