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Government Museum

This government museum is home to various paintings and galleries that are renowned and a sheer delight for the art lovers who visit this place. The museum was set up in the year 1968. It contains an impressive list of sculptures made of stone and paintings. The brain behind this museum was the renowned architect, Le Corbusier. This museum, situated on Sector 10, with an awe-inspiring architecture is visited by hundreds of tourists every day.  If one is interested to know about the fossils existing in the pre-historic period, paintings of miniature size, exquisite sculptures made of stone carvings and ancient arts, then the Government Museum and Art Gallery in Chandigarh is the place that one has to mandatorily visit. The main sub divisions of the galleries that are found here are Hindu and Gandhara sculptures, Decorative Arts and Coins, Miniature Paintings and all other contemporary art. This museum remains closed for public on Mondays. There is also a well-maintained library in this museum which quenches the knowledge thirst of students, researchers and educationalists.

History

The brilliant architecture was fully designed and conceptualized by the world famous architect, Le Corbusier. This was originally set up in the year 1947, but started operations only during 1968. The measurement of the building is about 50m X 50m.

Sections

The different sections that are part of this museum are

  • The National History Museum
  • The National Gallery of Portraits
  • The Chandigarh Architecture Museum

They are managed by the chief director and curator, NPS Randhawa and the Advisory Committee that administers the activities of the Museum. The painting, sculptures, art works and other art exhibited here around 1000 in number. The books and reference material found in the library are more than 10,000 in number. This museum houses a coffee shop for refreshments and two shops that sell souvenirs.

Timings: It opens for public daily between 10:00 a. m. and 4:30 p.m. except on Mondays, National and Public holidays.

Entry Fee: Rs. 10/- (Rupees ten only). There is no entry fee for children below 12 years and senior citizens.

Camera Fee: Rs. 5/- (Rupees five only)

Guided tour

  • Daily at 11:00 a.m., 12:00 noon, 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m
  • Special guided tours for school children with prior appointments are arranged.
  • Wheelchairs are also available on request.

How to Reach

By Air

Chandigarh airport is the nearest airport from here. It is well connected with flights daily to and from Delhi.  There are also flights operating to and from Chandigarh and all the major cities in the country. The cab charges from the airport to the museum are about Rs 100. Foreign tourists can reach this place from the Delhi International Airport.

By Train

Chandigarh is the nearest railway junction to this place. There are two main trains operating daily from Delhi to Chandigarh. They are the Shatabdi Express and Himalayan Queen. The Paschim Express connects Chandigarh with another major city, Mumbai. Chandigarh railway junction is well connected with most of the other cities like Kerala, Chennai, Bangalore and Lucknow.

By Road

The buses operated by the Chandigarh State Government are very comfortable and suit the different budget needs of the tourists. The buses are of luxury, deluxe or Volvo types. The seats are highly comfortable and reclining in nature. There are buses that run daily between Chandigarh and the major states of Punjab and Haryana. The charges for the deluxe buses are about Rs 3-4 for one kilometre. Shimla that is 110km away, Manali that is 320km away, New Delhi that is 260km away and Dehradun that is 175km away from Chandigarh have excellent bus services among them.

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