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The Government State Museum Chennai

The Government State Museum, Chennai is one of the largest museums in South Asia and famous for its numismatic and archaeological collections. The popular museum which tourists to this part of the country rarely give a miss is an amazing repository of rich heritage associated with the state of Tamil Nadu.

Location

The Government State Museum, Chennai is situated less than a kilometer from Egmore, Chennai and has an incredibly large collection of numismatic and archeological items that are truly priceless in value owing to their relevance to the past history of the place.

History

The museum was initially established in a building on College Road in Nungambakkam in 1851 and was relocated to its current site in 1854 because of the earlier building was in a dilapidated state. It was formally inaugurated and opened for public on December 5, 1896 AD by the then Governor of Madras, Sir Arthur Elibank Havelock. The official architect to the Government of Madras, H. Irvin played a key role in designing the museum.

Interesting Facts about the Museum

The Government State Museum is the second oldest museum in India after the Indian Museum of Kolkata. Apart from the large archaeological and numismatic collections, the museum is believed to have the largest gathering of Roman antiquities, outside of Europe. Some of the structures in the museum campus are past their centenary age. Apart from the six buildings, there are 46 galleries here which cover an area of around 16 acres.

What Is On Display Here

The items displayed in the museum consist of a large range of palm-leaf manuscripts, artifacts and other objects of historical and archeological relevance. They have been neatly categorized into sections such as various sections such as archeology, anthropology, botany, geology, zoology, sculpture and numismatics among others. The four main galleries of the museum are known as the Amravati Gallery, Bronze Gallery, Hindu Sculpture Gallery, and the National Art Gallery. A special segment dedicated exclusively to children is popular among the kids who visit the museum.  

The Museum Theater

The towering and majestic Museum Theatre is one of the most significant structures in the museum premises. Built in classic Italian style, the theatre was constructed in the late 19th century by the British. The key points of attraction include the high pedestal, the finely adorned walls and the pillars which have floral and geometrical motifs and the massive main hall which was built for the theatrical performances. It has more than 600 seats and a sprawling stage. The theatre is used for to host programs related to culture and academics including art workshops and seminars.

Pre-History Anthropology

The section related to pre-history anthropology portrays the way of life of Paleolithic man through various artifacts. There are many ancient copper, bronze and Iron Age items on display here. Visitors can get a glimpse into the lifestyle of ancient South Indians through the display of amours, agricultural implements, ancient pottery, utensils, ornaments and ritual objects.

Arts and Crafts

The Government State Museum has an arts section that has an incredible collection of paintings and sculptures that represent both traditional and modern India. The former is represented by paintings from Deccani, Kangra, Mughal, Rajput and Tanjore styles. Modern paintings include mediums like acrylic, graphic, oil, water colors and tempera. The paintings of famous ancient Indian artist Raja Ravi Varma can be seen in amazing settings complete with brilliant lighting systems.

The Government Museum has been selected as Manuscript Conservation Centre (MCC) under the National Mission for Manuscripts, founded in 2003.

Information for Visitors

The Museum is open from 0930 hrs to 1700 hrs on all days except Fridays and National Holidays. Entrance fee for adults is INR 15 INR 10 for children. For adult foreigners, the fee is INR 250 and children, it is INR 125. Ordinary camera fee is INR 200 and for video camera, the fee is INR 500.

How to Reach

By Road

The Museum is located in the Pantheon complex on the Pantheon Road just a few hundred meters from Egmore. There are state-run buses and autos operating on the route.

By Rail

The museum is just 500 meters from Egmore Railway Station.

By Air

The nearest airport is Meenambakkam Airport which is 20 km from the museum.

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