Government Museum
The Government Museum of Chennai is a must to see museum in the city. It dates back to colonial rule. There is a story behind the origin of this museum. Madras Literary Society in 1846 sent a proposal to the East India Company to set up a museum to preserve the artifacts of the past. Later the Court of Directors of East India Company accepted the proposal and it came into existence. Initially it was in the first floor building of the St. Fort George College which was shifted to Pantheon building in 1854.
The complex of the museum covers a huge area and it has six independent buildings which house 46 galleries. The Government Museum has also a splendid hall, and a reading room with wide space.
The main sections of the museum are geology, archeology, zoology, anthropology, numismatics, botany and sculpture and the four galleries of the museum are Hindu Sculpture Gallery, Bronze Gallery, Amravathi Gallery and National Art Gallery. The Archaeological Section preserves antiquities of sculptures, architectural pieces, metal and stone inscriptions of past of southern India and the most remarkable collections are such as wood carving, ivory work, metalware, inlay and embossed works. The anthropology of the museum comprises ancient pottery, ornaments of beads, weapons, stone monuments or megaliths, etc. The other sections of the museum also house a wide variety of artifacts and other collections. It has also a children section which comprises Civilization Gallery, Transportation Gallery and Kids Corner.
