After leaving Arignar Anna Zoological Park, we had our lunch. I had heard about Government Museum Chennai from some of my friends who had travelled to Chennai before. We caught an auto rickshaw and reached Egmore where the museum was located. The building itself has a grand look on scale of fabulousness. The museum was built in the year 1851 and is the second oldest museum in India spread over more than 16 acres of land.
Government museum, Chennai displays many national treasures, under sections like Art, Anthropology, Archeology, Botany, Geology and Zoology. There is also a Children’s Museum. Children’s museum attracts more than 1000’s of visitors daily. Art gallery majorly consists of paintings of sculptures. Chennai museum is also the proud owner of few Raja Ravi Varma paintings. There are also many antiquities under the archeological section. Bronze figures collection in the museum takes you through a guided tour through the religious and cultural India. One can also find many stone sculptures in the museum. Mediaeval metal and stone inscription gives you an insight towards the rich Tamil country dynasties that flourished during a long time in south India.
For the science lovers there are museum also possess a zoological and botany section. There are many interesting skeletal displays including 60 feet long Great Indian Baleena Whale that washed ashore in Mangalore in 1847. Geological section provides general information about geological structure of south India and displays samples of scientifically important rocks. There is also a children’s museum which apparently attracts lot of regular visitors. Children’s Museum seems to have been set up with an intention to provide education in a pleasant way. Children usually find it interesting due to the recreational value the museum provides. There are live size Tyrannosaurus and Stegosaurus in the museum.
It took us more than 4 hours to complete visiting all that Government Museum Chennai has to offer. I wish we had come with more time. From all the vacations I had in the past, this one with friends turned out to be one I would never forget. We had to catch the train back home next day early in the morning. But I had also made up my mind that I will be visiting Chennai again, maybe alone next time.