Founded in the year 1851, the Government Museum has gained high popularity as the 2nd oldest museum in the country. This museum is considered to be a treasure on its own. It has the richest and finest collections of masterpieces in archaeology, art, numismatics, and anthropology, to name a few. Located over a 16.25-acre area, it happens to be one of the largest museums across South Asia. The campus comprises of 6 independent buildings along with 46 galleries.
This museum has earned a high reputation for the bronze sculptures and artifacts that belong to various South Indian dynasties. Such exhibits are inclusive of items from numismatics, geology, archaeology, and various subjects. This museum comes with the wider collection of Roman antiquities, which are located outside of Europe.
In addition to the outstanding museum galleries, you will come across a children’s museum and the National Art Gallery within the Government Museum complex. It comes with the spacious Museum Theater, which includes a wide assortment of cultural plays and shows, which are considered to be an integral part of the specific complex. Learn more
Overview
This government museum comes with the largest repository of outstanding exhibits, which define numismatics, anthropology, archeology, art, and different kinds of subjects. If you are interested in culture, you should look through the larger gallery of folk arts, local musical instruments, puppets, theatrical costumes, and various objects. Besides this, it includes the Museum Theatre, which can accommodate around 600 people and displays enlightening historical documentaries in acoustics of supreme quality.
It includes the wider Roman antiquities collection outside of Europe. Bronze statues from ancient Asian heritage are becoming increasingly popular. The museum engages everyone, ranging from children to art aficionados. As you spend your valuable time admiring Ravi Verma’s paintings within the arts section, the party’s younger ones will head towards the children’s museum, which features vibrant visuals that will exhibit Indian history, elucidating nature and technological innovations.
At present, the museum is renovated with an air-conditioned 3D theatre, which plays around 5 films daily. It will take the duration of 2-3 hours to cover the full tour of the museum complex.
Places to visit around the Government Museum
Now, we will discuss the best places you can visit during your visit to the Government Museum. If you are going to visit the government museum, you should also visit the National Art Gallery and Kamaksh Amman Temple. The Kamakshi Amman Temple is situated 2.2 km away from the Government Museum, located on Pantheon Road. You should visit a specific place so that you can witness the vitiated Tamil people’s spiritual culture.
This temple is dedicated to the Kamakshi goddess. A wide array of travellers goes to the National Art Gallery during their trip to the government museum. The National Art Gallery is approximately a 5-minute short walk away. It is recognized to be an ancient Indian art gallery, which is known to be carved in the red stones. It displays the Indo-Saracenic architecture of the typical signature style.
In addition, you will find a myriad of the best paintings from Thanjavur’s folk art. Moreover, there is a wider collection of sandalwood sculptures and displays at the specific museum. The primary attraction for arts and history buffs will remain open until around 9.30 in the morning. It is considered to be a crucial landmark on Pantheon Road, Chennai.
When is the best time to visit the Government Museum?
9:30-11:30pm happens to be the perfect time to visit this destination. You will be able to avoid the crowds easily by visiting the place. It is considered to be a well-renowned tourist destination and receives a large number of visitors throughout the day.
It is recommended to make the proper travel plans during the early winter and pre-monsoon months when the days will be cool and crisp. From the early part of October to the end of February, the average daytime temperature will be around 23 degrees within the city. Thus, this time is considered to be a favorable time for the galleries, well-known museums, and different metropolitan attractions around Chennai.
Tips to reach the government museum
It is possible to reach the government museum via road, bus, and air. It is possible to find intercity shuttles and cabs to Pantheon Road from different parts of the city. Pantheon Road is known to be well connected to the remaining parts of the city through the Egmore bus station. If you are searching for a budget-friendly transport option, you can consider hiring auto rickshaws. More Info
The Egmore bus stop happens to be the closest bus terminus to the Government Museum. It is possible to find the intercity buses from the Chennai Airport and Chennai Railway Station to Egmore. You can fly to Chennai International Airport so that you can visit the Government Museum and different metropolitan attractions across Chennai.
If you want to visit the government museum, you should avoid going there during the weekends as the rush is known to be extremely high during that time. Besides this, the museum will be closed on Fridays.
