Overview
- Features: Chennai’s biggest and finest museum with five sections of galleries
- Opening Times: 9:30 am to 5:00 pm (Sat-Thu)
- Best Time to Visit: Any time of the year
- Duration: 2 to 3 hours
- Travelled By: Train (Egmore)
- Cost: Indian/foreigner Rs 15/250
- Address: 486 Pantheon Road, Egmore, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
- Type: Museum
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Summary
Housed across several British-built buildings known as the Pantheon Complex, this excellent Government Museum is Chennai’s best. The Indo-Saracenic Government Museum Chennai, with its faded red walls and labyrinth of staircases and interconnecting galleries, is spread over five sections of a large complex, each with a specific collection of objects. The 30,000 odd exhibits range from rocks and fossils to books and sculptures.
Government Museum Chennai
Housed across several British-built buildings known as the Pantheon Complex, this excellent Government Museum is Chennai’s best.
The Indo-Saracenic Government Museum Chennai, with its faded red walls and labyrinth of staircases and interconnecting galleries, is spread over five sections of a large complex, each with a specific collection of objects. The 30,000 odd exhibits range from rocks and fossils to books and sculptures.
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The Archaeological Section, in the main building, is noted for its exceptional collection of antiquities from all the major South Indian periods, including Chola, Vijayanagar, Hoysala and Chalukya. The exhibits include stone and metal sculpture, woodcarvings and manuscripts. Its rare collection of Buddhist antiquities numbers over 1,500 pieces. A major section comprises artefacts from Amaravati Temple in Andhra Pradesh that were brought here in the early 1800s by an intrepid Englishman, Colonel Colin Mackenzie. On display are sculptural reliefs, panels and free-standing statues. Objects include a 2nd century votive slab with a rendering of a stupa, and numerous stone panels with episodes from the Buddha’s life depicted in low relief. Don’t miss the intricate marble reliefs or the poignant sati stones commemorating women who burned on their husbands’ funeral pyres.
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The Numismatics Section has a large collection of coins, particularly South Indian and Mughal coins. There are also some gold Gupta coins with Sanskrit inscriptions.
In addition to housing a large collection of medals and coins, the museum also owns the only copy of the Magna Carta in India. The Magna Carta of 1215 A.D. is the Great Charter of England giving certain rights to the nobles.
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The Government Museum was one of the earliest institutions in India where ethnology and prehistoric archaeology were represented as museum subjects.
The Anthropology Section, in the front building, has a good collection of prehistoric antiquities, including cooking utensils and hunting tools, among them the first palaeolith in India, discovered in 1863 by Bruce Foote.
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The Zoological Section, in the main building, is one of the largest sections of the Museum. Although its scope is limited to South Indian fauna, a few non-indigenous stuffed animals and birds, such as the macaw, mandarin duck, and golden pheasant, have been added to enrich the collection. There is also an 18.5-m (60-ft) long whale skeleton on display.
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The adjoining 19th century Museum Theatre, a semi-circular structure also built in Indo-Saracenic style, was initially used as a lecture hall. It is now a venue for public performances.
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Some of the finest examples of South Indian bronze casting are on display in the Bronze Gallery. Its superb collection of almost 700 bronzes, specifically from the Pallava and Chola periods (between the 9th and 13th centuries) have been retrieved from temples and sites in the region. There are many impressive sculptures of the Nataraja – the depiction of Shiva performing his cosmic dance of creation. Another outstanding piece is an 11th century Chola Ardhanarisvara, a composite figure where Shiva and his consort Parvati are joined together to form a holistic entity. Bronzes of other gods and goddesses in the Hindu pantheon, include Rama, Sita and Ganesha. The panorama of images also includes various Buddhist bronzes from Amravati, a Chola Tara and Maitreya Avalokitesvara, and 11th century images of various Jain tirthanakaras.
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The same ticket gets you into the National Art Gallery, the children’s museum and a small modern art gallery, all located in the same complex.
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Getting to & from Government Museum Chennai
Government Museum Chennai is located in Egmore. The most affordable way to get there is to take the train to Chennai Egmore station and walk a short distance to the museum. Alternatively, you can hire an auto rickshaw or taxi which will take you directly to the museum. Buses also travel to the museum; Commissioner Office bus stop on Pantheon Road and Pudupet bus stop on Adithanar Road are the closest bus stops. Private cars with chauffeurs can also be hired for the day from reputable hotels or travel agencies in town.
