A long the old Mysuru-Bengaluru highway, tyres once hung outside shops, indicating to passing travellers that vehicle-related help was just a stop away. As the highway became a new six-lane, access-controlled expressway, those convenient roadside shops vanished.
Near Srirangapatna, however, a tyre-shaped steel structure atop a building catches the eye. It, too, has something to do with vehicles, but in a far more nostalgic sense. Welcome to Payana, a vintage automobile museum that takes visitors on a journey through India’s automotive heritage.
The museum was conceived and built by D. Veerendra Heggade, the hereditary administrator of the Dharmasthala temple trust in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district. An automobile enthusiast, Heggade personally curated the museum’s collection, which began with 70 vintage vehicles. Since its opening in April 2024, Payana has attracted over 19 lakh visitors.
Spread across two expansive floors, it is open every day from 9am to 8pm, with entry priced at Rs50. Entry is free for children below seven years and students. The museum’s ever-growing collection now includes 80 four-wheelers and 32 two-wheelers. More will join them; vintage vehicle owners across the country have expressed interest in donating their cherished machines.
On a bright Saturday morning, the museum’s sprawling premises are speckled with the previous night’s rain. The atmosphere is festive. Former Hunsur MLA H.P. Manjunath and his family, dressed for the occasion, are gathered near a 1968 Tata lorry, freshly painted and adorned with floral garlands. They have come to donate the lorry, their family’s old workhorse to the museum. The symbolic handover of the keys is to be made directly to Heggade, who is a member of the Rajya Sabha. But it is mainly to take THE WEEK for an exclusive walk through the museum that Heggade has come to Payana on this day.
As we tour the place, Heggade’s passion becomes apparent. The museum may dazzle visitors with its polished displays and vibrant colours, and the discerning will note that the layout is thoughtfully organised, guiding them through time and technology with clarity.
Payana, which means “journey” in Kannada, begins with the evolution of the wheel and concludes with vehicles recently phased out of production. In between, the exhibits tell compelling stories. Each vehicle has an informative plaque detailing its model, year of manufacture, engine capacity and country of origin.
For the 77-year-old Heggade, one car has a personal touch—a 1962 Standard Herald, the first vehicle he ever owned. “I learned to drive in this car,” he says with emotion. Encouraged by his father, Ratnavarma Heggade, he began driving at the age of 19 and once drove all the way to Mysuru under the watchful eye of the family’s chauffeur.
He walks up to the Herald, parked at the gallery entrance, and opens the bonnet—unlike modern cars, it lifts from back to front.
As we stroll past the gleaming displays, he stops to gently touch each car. One of his most prized possessions is the 1949 Daimler DE 36, once owned by Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar, the last Maharaja of Mysore. “This model was built under a royal warrant for a British tour of Australia. The trip never happened, and the Maharaja acquired it instead. Years later, I bought it from the royal family,” he explains. “It’s a straight-eight engine (eight cylinders placed in a single, straight line)—but a gas guzzler!”
Another standout is a 1947 Studebaker Champion, once driven by Nobel laureate C.V. Raman. “Raman’s family visited Dharmasthala once, and after seeing our collection, they donated his car to the museum,” he says. Also captivating are the 1925 Fiat 501, the elegant 1926 Mercedes-Benz 8/38 HP, the rugged 1946 Dodge Power Wagon and the iconic 1947 Citroen Traction Avant 11CV. Among other important displays are a 1929 Studebaker President 8, used by Mahatma Gandhi, and a 1983 Datsun Bluebird, once owned by Kannada actor Vishnuvardhan.
For Heggade, the restoration workshop behind the museum is a sacred place where dilapidated vehicles get a new life and become sentinels of history. Currently, a Fiat taxi from Mumbai is getting a facelift with its vintage taxi meter.
Heggade plans to add military vehicles to the museum. “They played a crucial role in defending our nation,” he says. “I spoke to the defence minister about donating vintage military vehicles, and he agreed. Soon, we will showcase machines that served our armed forces with distinction.”