Butterfly Museum

The Butterfly Museum is the only known museum in India that is dedicated to moths and butterflies. The museum that is privately owned has a huge collection of butterflies and moths. The Butterfly Museum is situated at Riatsamthiah about 2 kilometres from Police Bazaar, the main shopping destination of Shillong. The Butterfly Museum has a collection of the some of the rarest species of butterflies and moths.

Established during 1930s, it is a private museum owned by the famous Wankhar family of Shillong. Legend says that, MR. Siddhartha Kumar Sarkar, a Bengali entomologist from Kolkata went to Shillong and married a Khasi lady with surname Wankhar. They took initiative to collect various species of insects and butterflies. Now, the granddaughter of Sarkar namely Ms. Rozalin has been taking care of this museum.

Being the only known museum in India devoted to moths and butterflies, it has a rich collection of 1600 types of butterflies and moths from all over the world. Colourful insects and similar endemic species found in nearby regions can also be seen at the museum. Wankhar Entomology Museum has also played an important role in the conservation of rare butterfly and moth species by starting a breeding program. The museum has a few displays providing insight into the life span and habitat of these insects.