If you love to spend some time admiring art and paintings, try visiting the Egmore Museum in Chennai. It is a rich repository of the finest masterpieces of art, archaeology, anthropology, numismatics, and much more. The museum is a must-visit destination for history enthusiasts, Art lovers, and curious travellers. The Madras Museum was established in 1851 and is the second oldest museum in our country, after the Kolkata Indian Museum. The Madras Museum assures to lure visitors of all ages. The Government Museum is spread across 16.25 acres of land and is counted among the largest museums in South Asia. The campus has six independent buildings with 46 galleries, including the following structures.
The museum is divided into different sections housed in various buildings. The main building features artefacts, sculptures, animal galleries, botany galleries, and a philately gallery. The front building showcases a puppet gallery, folk art galleries, and music galleries. The bronze gallery houses bronze artefacts, numismatics, and chemical conservation galleries. Visitors can explore the Children’s Museum with its doll section, technology and science galleries. The National Art Gallery also displays excellent paintings and artistic marvels, while the Contemporary Art Gallery spans rock and cave art to modern art.
The Government Museum houses an art gallery, a museum theatre, Connemara Public Library, and the Department of Natural History. It has sections devoted to geology, anthropology, numismatics, botany, zoology, archaeology, and sculpture. The museum exhibits exquisite carvings, a good collection of arms, armour, South Indian musical instruments, jewellery, and the Stone and Iron Ages exhibits. Notable collections include the Bronze of Ardhanariswara, the 2nd-century AD Amaravati Buddhist site relics, and prehistoric South Indian artefacts.
Reasons to visit the Egmore Museum
This Museum in Chennai is an extensive complex that comprises six distinct buildings, each offering its own unique treasures. Staying in a best resorts in Chennai would help you spend your holiday wisely by visiting these historically important places. The Main Building is home to a diverse collection of paintings, stones, and sculptures. The Front Building features an array of arms, puppets, and other fascinating art pieces. Meanwhile, the Bronze Gallery showcases an impressive array of bronze sculptures, ancient coins, and meticulously preserved artefacts. The Children’s Museum offers a range of educational exhibits, while the National Art Gallery is a hub for traditional paintings and arts. On the other hand, the Contemporary Art Gallery features an intriguing mix of British-era portraits, modern artwork, and other captivating displays.
In addition to these buildings, visitors can also explore the Museum Theatre, which serves as a versatile space for cultural and academic events. It hosts a wide range of programs and also provides a platform for engaging in performing arts such as dramas and music concerts.
Furthermore, the Chennai Government Museum is home to the Connemara Public Library, a treasure trove of centuries-old publications and rare literary collections, making it a must-visit for book enthusiasts and history lovers alike.
Notable collections of the Egmore Museum
The well-known Chola and other bronzes from southern India, sculptures from Amaravati, weaponry from the Thanjavur kingdoms, stone inscriptions, copper plate grants, Dowleshwaram gold coins from Raja Raja I and Kulothunga I, Chengam copper coins, ancient Adhichanallur artefacts, prehistoric stone tools from the Bruce Foote collection, Roman artefacts from Arikamedu (near Pondicherry), beautiful crystal reliquaries from the Bhattiprolu stupa, and the large whale skeleton found on the shore near Mangalore.
Bronze collections
The gallery’s bronze collection is the most renowned and enjoyed, with exhibits dating back to the 11th to 17th centuries. The gallery houses over a thousand priceless pieces, with sizable collections from the kings of Chera, Chola, and Pallava dynasties. An 11th-century Arthanareeshwara sculpture and a majestic statue of Nataraja occupy pride of place and receive many visitors every year who are left in awe and admiration.
The Sculptures Gallery
The stone sculpture section also features an impressive collection. The collection, housed in the main building, spans centuries and includes North and South Indian, Buddhist, and Jain sculptures. The sculptures often feature one-line labels which informs the name of the god worshipped or the structure depicted and the place or time period it was found. Visitors have remarked on the need for more elaborate descriptions.
TheEgmoreMuseum in Chennaiis a significant institution, displaying an extensive array of artefacts, paintings, sculptures, and various historical items that provide a deep insight into India’s cultural legacy and past.Forthoseinterestedinhistory,art,orsimply curious aboutthe past, this museum is an essential stop on their journey.
The Rock and Cave Art Gallery
The new Rock and Cave Art Gallery of the Egmore Museum in Chennai makes the arts of rocks and caves found usually in the remote areas of the country easily accessible to visitors. This gallery was set up after a field study of the sites and academic research by a team from the Department of Museums. By using the latest techniques of light and display, the museum has brilliantly simulated the natural atmosphere of the caves. It has used interactive Son-et-Lumiere, Touch Screen and Tran slides to stimulate visitor interest.
The Art and Painting Collection
One of the important reasons to visit the Egmore Museum boasts an impressive assortment of traditional and modern paintings and sculptures. The collection includes traditional paintings from different schools such as Tanjore, Rajput, Moghul, Kangra, and Deccani, as well as modern works in various mediums like oil, tempera, watercolor, graphics, and acrylic. The museum also houses modern-style metal sculptures and graphics.
Notable pieces include Tanjore paintings featuring Tanjore Maratha Kings and Queens, Rajput paintings portraying the theme of love through musical modes, Moghul paintings depicting scenes from the court of Emperor Babur and portraits of prominent figures, and Kangra paintings centered on Krishna legends. Additionally, the museum exhibits twelve portraits of British governors and governors-general. The Raja Ravi Varma paintings, considered national treasures, are displayed in a gallery illuminated with fiber optic lighting, which provides a dramatic effect while safeguarding the paintings from harmful rays.
The Contemporary Art Gallery is illuminated with dichroic halogen lamps, ensuring minimal damage to the paintings and providing a visually pleasing effect. These lighting methods, implemented in 2001 AD, were pioneering for Indian museums at the time.
Attractions of the Children’s Museum
The Children’s Museum features galleries, a fountain powered by solar energy, a water pumping unit operated by a windmill, and life-sized fibreglass Tyrannosaurus and Stegosaurus models to attract visitors. The museum also provides visitor facilities, including a see-through lift and a ramp for physically handicapped visitors. It’s a place where education blends seamlessly with recreation and vice versa.
Costumes and Dolls Gallery
Another interesting gallery in the museum is the Costumes and Dolls Gallery. The Museum in Chennai, Egmore, hosts this fascinating gallery that captivates every visitor’s attention. A costume reflects an individual or group’s unique dressing style, along with cosmetics that reflect gender, profession, ethnicity, nativity, or religious practice. In short, a costume is a cultural visual representation of the people. The gallery displays different parts of the world and the traditions followed by them.
Visiting hours
The Government Museum Chennai is open to the public on all days of the week, except Fridays and government holidays, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Chennai is home to numerous resorts. The good resorts in Chennai offer city tours that help travelers explore the city’s tourist attractions, including the museum. A relaxing stay at a Chennai resort for a couple of days can be combined with a city tour to experience the city’s cultural heritage. Visitors can glimpse the city’s old architecture dating back to the British colonial period and gain an understanding of Chennai’s historic significance during the pre-independence era.