Art Galleries & Museums

A museum dedicated to Rukmini Devi, the founder of the prestigious Kalakshetra, is locataed at t the Kalakshetra campus, Chennai. The museum houses a variety of praise worthy art objects gathered by Rukmini Devi from different parts of the world. It includes paintings, sculptures, art objects and the sarees worn by Rukmini Devi among some other valuable collections. Some of the these objects were presented to her by Yagneswara Shastri, elder brother of Rukmini Devi and a large set was gifted by he friend James H. Cousins, a renowned Irish poet.

National Art Gallery, also known as Victoria Memorial Hall) is located in the Pantheon complex, Egmore. It is a pink sandstone building that was built in Jaipuri-Jaina style. T. Namberumal Chetty built the gallery in 1907. The gallery contains various traditions of Indian painting including the Rajput and Moghul schools. It has 11th and 12th century Indian handicrafts, 17th century Deccan paintings, 16th to 18th century Mughal and Rajasthani paintings and 10th and 13th century bronzes.

Madras museum theatre, located at Egmore the busy place in Chennai, opened in 1896. Constructed by British in Indo-Saracen style, during the end of 19th century, the museum theatre is one of the grand structures. It is housed within the museum complex together with other distinguished structures like Old Public Library and the famous National Art Gallery. It is surrounded by the cannons captured or used by the British during the wars. This theatre has staged thousands of plays so far. It has watched stories come to life for more than a century.

Government Museum, also known as Madras Museum, is situated at Egmore, one of the busiest areas in Chennai. Founded in 1851, it exhibits various specimens pertaining to zoology, botany, anthropology and geology. The museum has a fine archaeological section representing all the major south Indian periods including Chola, Vijayangar, Hoysla and Chalukyas. The bronze image of Ardhnariswara (Shiva and Parvathy) is an eye-catching one. The museum also has separate sections for philately and children. It also houses a good ethnology collection.

Fort Museum, established in 1948, is situated within the ramparts of the St George Fort in Chennai. It is under the management of Archeological Survey of India (ASI). The Museum showcases collections of archeologically valued materials. The Fort Museum has a fascinating collection of memorabilia from the British and French East India companies as well as the Raj and Muslim period. The museum showcases arms, uniforms, medals, porcelains, coins, manuscripts, paintings, prints and textiles of East India Company, Indo French and Odeyars of Mysore.

Started by the then Viceroy of British India, Mayo College is one among the best educational institutions in India. Mayo College is famed not only for the excellence of edification it impart, but also for its architectural grandeur. Built in 1875 with white marble, this is a classic example for the celebrated Indo-Saracenic architecture. This style is found its place in the Archive wing of the British Museum in London. This prestigious institution is also called as Eton of the East.

Small but elegant citadel, built by Emperor Akbar, this palace lures the tourists with its invincible structure. Flanked by two parallel dense walls, this was the place where Jahangir met the British ambassador Sir Thomas Roe. Constructed in the year 1570, this palace is considered as one among the mightiest citadel in the southeast part of Rajasthan.

The fort walls include a double storied bastion enclosed by a chain of columns held jointly at the top by bends. A hefty foyer in the core of the turret leads into so many rooms, this palace was intended for the emperor and his troops whilst there stay in Ajmer. This magnificient palace serves as an ostentatious way to obtain quixotic and riotous history of Ajmer.

This Museum lies at a distance of 12 km from Sultan Bathery and displays items related to tribal communities. Prominent among these items are clay sculptures, ancient hunting equipments like bows and arrows, stone weapons, musical instruments, bangles, ear ornaments and hunting traps. The items have been collected from all over Wayanad region. The Museum is open between 9 am to 6 pm.

Sree Chithra Art Gallery: Sree Chithra Art Gallery is open for public from 1000 to 1645 hrs. This gallery is closed on Mondays and Wednesdays afternoons. This gallery is situated adjacent to the Napier museum and has an explicit collection of Raja Ravi Varma paintings and excellent works of the Mughal, Rajput and Tanjore art schools are displayed. The displays also include china, Tibet, Bali and Japanese paintings.

The Science and Technology Museum was established in 1984. This is setup by the Kerala government. This was designed to inculcate scientific awareness in the minds of the youngsters. This is a place including recreation with study and is also an essential tourist attraction.

The science and technology museum is very interesting as it explains all the features in detail and this develops the children in raising questions. This museum is well maintained and is the right place for children to spend some time to gather information that may be useful in the future. Science is a fact that cannot be denied, and perceiving things directly always has a better impact than merely studying.