Gargoti: The Mineral Museum is a Natural History museum in Sinnar town near Nashik in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The Museum houses a collection of natural mineral and gem specimens collected by Mr. Krishna Chandra Pandey over 40 years. This is India's first and the world's biggest private gem and mineral Museum. The Museum was inaugurated by Hon. Shri. Balasaheb Thackeray on 26th April, 2001. “Gargoti”, though meaning pebbles in Marathi, is a reference to the spectacular zeolites housed here. The word zeolite is derived from the Greek words- zein and lithos, meaning “boil” and “stone” respectively. A zeolite—an ethereal creation of breathtaking colour and fragile structure—is formed as the result of a process in which a group of silicate minerals expel water when heated.

Born in 1960 in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh, Pandey worked as a Naval Engineer (Aeronautical) in the Indian Navy. During his postings in Maharashtra, he started collecting zeolites and minerals from the crusher quarries operating near his posts. A visit to the Gems, Minerals and Fossils show in Tucson, Arizona, the world's largest fair of its kind, was a turning point for Pandey, who opted for early retirement from the Navy in 1993 to concentrate on trading his collection in the international market. He transformed his mineral and zeolite collecting hobby into a full time business under his flagship export company, “Superb Minerals India”, which has since emerged as the biggest dealer/exporter of Indian zeolites and minerals in the world. Following the success of his business, Pandey also decided to give India its first and only gem and mineral museum with Gargoti. His objective is to educate the people of India about the universally renowned and appreciated Natural Treasure of Indian Zeolite Minerals and help in the conservation and preservation of these magnificent wonders of Nature.

Spread over an area of 13,000 sq ft, the single-floored museum building is constructed in a contemporary style, and was built over a period of six years. As one enters the Museum, one is enchanted by the towering statue of “Mother India” located centrally. This 8.5ft high statue made by sculptor Madan Garde depicts “Bharat Mata” ensconced on a lion with her calm, serene smile. The interior of the dome showing the drifting Indian subcontinent directly above the statue of “Mother India” is one of the striking features of the building.

The Museum has two main sections; The Deccan Plateau Gallery on the ground floor displaying the best of Indian zeolites and minerals from the Deccan, which also has one of the richest deposits of zeolites and minerals in the world, , and The Prestige Gallery displaying Pandey’s collection of gems and minerals acquired from around the world, on the first floor. Each zeolite mineral in the Museum is almost 65+ million years old. The main attractions of the Museum include: apophyllite from Ahmednagar, cavansite from Pune, sapphire from Sri Lanka, native gold from California, USA, amethyst geodes from Brazil, moon and Mars rocks, dinosaur fossils from Gujarat and Titanic coal.

Additionally, the Museum also has a souvenir shop on the ground floor that offers exclusive stone collectibles and handicrafts such as gem trees, japa malas, jewellery, cut stones, onyx and soft stone handicrafts, etc. The Museum has won several awards, namely; Pride of India, Saraswati Puraskar and Sinnar Gaurav.

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