India, 7th october 2025: On World Architecture Day, few places capture the dialogue between design, philosophy, and culture as gracefully as the Abhay Prabhavana Museum & Knowledge Centre near Pune. Spanning 22.25 Hector (55 acres), it is among the largest private museums in the world, envisioned as a Museum of Ideas where architecture extends as storytelling in stone, space, and form.
The museum’s journey begins with the striking 13.3 meters (43-foot) Art Deco-style statue of Rishabhdev, the first Tirthankar, surrounded by murals that narrate humanity’s earliest steps into civilization. The 30.4 meters (100-foot) marble Manastambh rises nearby, its seven stages carved with symbols of humility and elevation, reminding visitors that architecture can embody values as powerfully as words.
Inside, 30 galleries unfold like carefully designed chapters, blending modern technology with traditional motifs. Interactive exhibits, immersive domes, and layered murals transform walls into living texts, shaping spaces that educate while inspiring reflection. The Plaza of Equanimity houses the Sarvatobhadra statue facing four directions, a design that makes inclusivity tangible through symmetry and openness.
The museum extends outdoors with its heritage walk, where recreations of Dholavira, Kere Basadi, Pavapuri’s Jal Mandir, and the Gwalior caves turn architecture into experience, letting visitors “travel” across centuries within a single arena. At Abhay Prabhavana, architecture is both: a visual grandeur as well as a living medium – one that bridges art, philosophy, and values, building upon the role of design in shaping how we experience heritage and meaning.
