Wanderlust: Exploring 5 Best Museums in Chennai
We are all aware of the fascinating temples, popular beaches and architectural magnificence native to Chennai. However, did you know that Chennai also has a rich and vibrant heritage and history? A lot can be learnt about ancient, historical gems by visiting museums in Chennai. The museums are not just for history buffs, but also for anyone interested in various forms of art, music, and literature. If you are planning a trip to Chennai, check out the best flight and hotel deals on InterMiles before hitting the road!
You will be enthralled by the variety of museums you can find in Chennai. In fact, the second largest museum in India is also on our list! Read on to know more –
Vintage Camera Museum
If you have a forever love affair with cameras, photography and vintage art, don’t miss out on the Vintage Cam era Museum of Chennai. This camera museum is home to over 1500 cameras and is a treat to the eyes! Almost all the cameras here have a back-story and tales on how they were collected. A few of them were won in auctions, while others were bought from flea markets. Other than cameras, the museum also has a huge collection of camera rolls, movie projectors, spy cameras, printing equipment and glass plates. Here is an interesting fact for you: the person who inaugurated this camera museum was by profession a dentist, named Dr AV Arun.
If you have some time on your hands, attend interesting lectures on cameras organized in-house by the museum. To make it even more personal and memorable, those wanting to add something to the museum can donate old cameras or camera rolls.
Egmore Government Museum
The second largest museum in India is in Chennai! Welcome to Egmore Government Museum. This museum holds a large repository of culture, art and tradition. It also boasts the largest collection of Roman antiques, other numismatic collections and a fascinating Colossal Museum Theater. To cover the entire museum you would have to visit 6 different buildings; each building is dedicated to different artefacts or periods of history. You will find anthropology, archaeology, pre-historic era and arts. What makes it even more interesting, is that some of the buildings here are 100 years old!
To time travel to the iron and bronze era, you can visit the prehistoric gallery. It has artefacts like armors, orna ments, agricultural equipment, ancient pottery, utensils and ritual objects which showcases the early ages and how human beings used to survive back then. Apart from the prehistoric gallery, the art and zoology gallery will leave you awestruck with its paintings of different eras and numerous skeletons of extinct animals and birds. Yo u can end the museum tour with the children’s gallery. It is both interesting and entertaining. Overall, this Chennai government museum is full of wonders and we highly recommend a visit to this one!
Click Art Museum
This 3D museum in Chennai is unique and will make you fall in love with art and paintings. It allows you to enter frames of the art pieces and as you do, the art comes alive! All the art pieces have a unique spot or centre which is marked, and once you stand there or pose, the art gives the best 3D effect. So go ahead and click selfies with Bruce Lee as he kicks you out of the frame, or get gulped down by a crocodile as you hold its jaw! You can also fly like a bird in the sky or get some colourful butterfly wings on your back.
There is plenty to do here and all with the picture perfect possibilities – it is sure to blow up your Instagram. So we say, go explore this art museum and experience the painting and contemporary arts come to life!
Dakshinachitra
Any list of the best museums in Chennai must include this name. Here’s why! The museum will help you explore the authentic cultural art and heritage of South India. As the meaning of Dakshinachitra means ‘Art of South’, you would find here the living history of the southern states of India. Every little artefact and structure in this museum has its significance in the history, tradition, and culture of South India and its nearby regions.
The Ilkal House of this museum represents Karnataka. Here, you will find houses built with granite. Inside the ho use, there are utensils and a stove which was traditionally used by the locals decades ago. We would also recom mend that you visit the Tholu Bommalata of this museum. It means Shadow Puppetry. It is one of the most exci ting buildings as it holds events and workshops which depict rural traditions and cultures of South India. To make things even more exciting, there are puppet shows! Interestingly, the puppets used for the puppet show are ma de of leather and the colours are extracted from vegetables and mineral dyes. There is more for you! Visit the textile museum and learn more about the traditional textile of the South. The range of textile options will leave you wonderstruck! From Kanchipuram to Machilipatnam you can find it all here.
