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In Chennai
there are lots of places and a lot of
stuff to buy. Shopping at Chennai as The
museums of Chennai are treasure houses
wherein glory of the past and diversity
of the contemporary reside. Chennai, the
capital of Tamil Nadu state, has been
witnessing great many events that have
left some long lasting impressions. The
city has been the foothold of many great
dynasties of ancient South India. Tamil
culture, from time immemorial, has been
surviving and spreading from the city.
Primitive crafts have been modified to
fit in the contemporary society. The
legacy left behind by antecedent
generations and events have been taken
due care and its the museums that exist
as the protectorate of these entities.
Chennai houses some great museums with
rich collections of arts and
antiquities. Some reputed museums
located in the city include Government
Museum, National Arts Gallery, Birla
Planetarium, Cholamandal Artists'
Village (galleries) and Periyar Science
and Technology Centre. Government Museum
and National Arts Gallery features some
precious collections of arts and crafts.
Periyar Science and Technology Centre
and Birla Planetarium have in their
collection some modern marvels and
models of science. Cholamandal Artists'
Village houses art galleries where some
masterpieces are safeguarded.
Government Museum
The Government Museum was initially
housed in the College of Fort St.
George. In the same era an elite British
group, by the name of Pantheon
Committee, was working to improve the
social life of expatriates in the city.
To carry out their mission the Pantheon
group constructed a group of buildings.
These buildings were spread over an area
of about 16.25 acres. The Government
Museum expanded vigorously and needed a
new place. It was year 1851 when the
museum was moved into the buildings
constructed by the committee. The
museum, at present, consists of a number
of sections holding some rare
collections throughout the continent.
Government Museum of Chennai lies off
the Pantheon Road in the Egmore region
of the city suburbs. The museum is one
of the prime attractions in the city. It
is one of the first government sponsored
museum in Indian sub continent. The
museum is one great tourist destination
in the state of Tamil Nadu, besides
popular temples and monuments.
The Government Museum is the first such
institution to be established by the
government. The museum at Chennai
contains some of the priced collections
in Asia. The museum makes up a grand
repository encompassing art gallery,
theatre, public library and more. The
museum complex has been divided into
various sections based on certain
defined fields. These sections include
Geology, Archeology, Anthropology,
Numismatics, Botany, Zoology and
Sculpture.
The galleries of the museum house real
treasures and are worth a peek. There
are four galleries in all, which are-
Hindu Sculpture Gallery, Bronze Gallery,
Amravathi Gallery and the National Art
Gallery. The bronze sculptures are
exceptional featuring masterpieces like
bronzes of Nataraja, Durga, Ganesha, all
belonging to the Chola Empire.
The objects considered to belong to
industrial arts are fascinating. Wood
carving, ivory work, metal carving and
inlay work is presented by the
collection of industrial arts. A rich
collection of coins belonging to
different historical periods are housed
in the Numismatics section. The
Archeological section contains 400
objects of art.
Besides the popular sections there is
one section dedicated to the children.
The Children's museum is meant to
inculcate curiosity level and better
understanding of various existing
phenomena. Some galleries of Children's
Museum include Civilization Gallery, the
Transportation Gallery and the Kids
Corner.
The museum is located in the vicinity of
Egmore Railway Station, less than a
kilometre away. From central railway
station the place is about two kms away.
The museum is open on all days except
Fridays and National Holidays. The
visiting hours of the museum are from
9.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.
Birla Planetarium
Birla Planetarium features a fully
computerized planetarium located in the
Kotturpuram suburbs of Chennai city. The
planetarium is an integral part of
Periyar Science and Technology Centre, a
premier institute in the southern state
of India, Tamil Nadu. Birla Planetarium
is situated on the Gandhi Mandapam Road
with the nearest bus stop and railway
station being Kotturpuram Bus Stop and
Kotturpuram Railway Station. The bus
station is about two kms north of the
planetarium and the railway station
about a kilometre in the north-east.
Provided with the state of art
technology, the planetarium reproduces
the celestial experience down here. The
observatory features fully computerized
projector and one of sophisticated
pieces of technology, that is GM II
projector. The audio video shows hosted
by the institution elucidate
comprehensive knowledge as well as
personal experience of various cosmic
phenomena. The planetarium provides an
air conditioned complex with seating
capacity for 236 persons at any given
time. The complex also houses a sound
studio, seminar hall and a class room.
These places are provided for various
interactions and discourses that are
offered by the science centre. The
popular exhibits of the centre include
Solar System, Cycle of Stars, Sky and
Seasons, Comets, Man on the Moon. If you
are interested in catching the stars or
have a look at the meteoroids then make
it sure to visit the place on second
Saturday of the week. The show featuring
night watching is held
Birla Planetarium is a fully
computerized planetarium featuring an
audio video sojourn of the cosmic space.
The planetarium started as a project in
the year1988 and the establishment
responsible for its inception was the
famous Periyar Science and Technology
Centre of Chennai. The planetarium was
built in the memory of the leading
industrialist and visionary of India,
B.M. Birla. The planetarium hosts
regular shows pertaining to the
astronomy. The place, since its
inception is a frequently visited place
by tourists, students, environmentalists
and people inclined to astronomy.
Periyar Science and Technology Centre
Periyar Science and Technology Centre
was started in the year 1983. The centre
has been named after a great
revolutionary leader and visonary from
South India, Thanthai Periyar. The
visionary was among the earliest
advocates who supported modern
scientific approaches in understanding
various phenomena. The centre exists as
a multi purpose science and
technological centre aimed to bring
awareness as well developments in the
said field. The ubiquitous Birla
Planetarium forms one of the parts of
the centre. The complex built over a
good 21 acres of land is provided with
great store houses of information. The
card-carrying complex consists of a
number of galleries. The five credited
galleries of Periyar Science and
Technology Centre are Periyar's
Teachings, Transport, Electronics &
Communication, Physical Sciences and
Children's Hall of Sciences.
Cholamandal Artists' Village
Prior to 1965 the region was one
sparsely populated or abandoned region
lying south of the famous city. The much
epitomized village came into being
following the initiative taken by a
group of artists and the inception of a
self sustaining arts centre in the year
1965. In the same year a group of
regional artists bought the land here
and started the institution. The place
was named after the regional patrons
that is Cholas, who had made great
contributions in the past. Cholamandal
Artists' Village houses cottages of a
score of reputed artists who devote
their lives to arts. |
