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Storehouses Of Tamil's Heritage
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Tamil Nadu
is a land with history and culture. Innumerable historical sites, cities and
monuments across the length and breadth of the state are a testimony to this
rich cultural past. Tamil Nadu's museums offer visitors a rare opportunity to
view culture under a single roof. |
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Government State Museum
This museum in Chennai is best known for
two important collections: sculptures from Amarvati and its famed Bronze
Gallery. The Amaravati collection has panels, pillars, carved railings and
Buddha statues of Milky white marble from a Buddhist stupa excavated at
Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh. There are bronze sculptures from the later
Pallava, Chola, Hoysala and Chalukya periods.
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Chennai |
Fort St. George Museum |
The museum displays collection of portraits and paintings of former
governors of Chennai as well as of English royalty. Among the other
objects on view are weapons, coins, porcelain and the communion vessels of
the church. |
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Thanjavur |
Thanjavur Art Gallery
The former palace of the Nayaks of Thanjavur once viceroys of the Vijaynagara
rules and later hereditary rulers, is a wonderful and extravagant piece of
architecture, built in 1600. The huge enclosed compound encompasses a complex
which includes the Art Gallery, the Saraswati Library and the Sangeetha Sabha or
Music Hall.
A gigantic tower, the arsenal, decorated with bands of arches form the external
facade. One enters into a hall which is the sculpture gallery where examples of
south Indian stone sculptures dating from the Pallava to Nayak period are
exhibited.
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Madurai |
Government Museum
The various sections in the museum deal with archaeology, anthropology,
zoology, numismatology, botany and geology. The museum has a fine
collection of bronzes which are not allowed to be photographed.
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