Pondicherry also called “The Europe of India”, is a place that brags about its rich heritage, and culture that comprises statues, museums, and colonial buildings. It is considered the primary state of the Union Territory of Puducherry. It is a widely visited destination in South India. Museums are one of the places of attraction for visitors to this city. There are several museums that throw light on the ancient life of people. These museums display antique art facts dug from the archaeological place of Arikamedu. Arikamedu is an ancient Roman and Greek trading port from the second century BCE to the eighth century BCE.
There are various museums in this city that have got restored from the houses of artists and royals. In addition to the reminders from the past, they are a great place to showcase the remarkable traditions and culture that prevailed during the rule of the Chola and Pallava dynasties, trade in the pre-Christian age, and colonial years.
So, if you are visiting Pondicherry, make sure you visit the following museums:
1. Bharathiya Museum, Pondicherry
The museum has got its name from the renowned Tamil poet, and patriot of the past Subramanya Bharathi. This poet came to Pondicherry as a fleeting from India in 1908. The French creative vibes helped the poet to form his best compositions in plays, and poems. All these compositions are kept for public viewing in the Bharathi museum.
The Bhartiya Museum had been the home of this poet. It is also popular as a religious site for modern-day Tamilians. They consider Subramanya Bharathi to have started a contemporary form of Tamil poetry. A majority of compositions of Bharathi are used t as songs in Tamil films and are played in concerts throughout India and abroad.
This commemorative museum is developed as a research center. It showcases a wide range of texts, letters, and photographs of this great poet. The valuable nationalistic and idealistic compositions of the poet are still alive in the museums. These creations have been a source of motivation for various tourists and locals.
The Bhartiya Museum is divided into 3 rooms:
- The first room showcases photos of all those people who have influenced the life of Bharathi.
- The second room showcases all those journals that the poet has written and all his articles that got published.
- The third room of this museum is the largest of all three rooms. It showcases an oil painting of the poet with his family members. His letters to the freedom fighters and partisan poems are also displayed in the form of paintings in the museum.
The Bhartiya museum pays reverence to the notable social visionary, and poet. If you are a patriot and a literature fan, then you should definitely visit this museum.
Timings of Pondicherry Museum: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Visiting Days: The museum is open on all days except Mondays
Visit Duration: 1 hour
2. Bharathidasan Museum, Pondicherry
This is another popular museum, that also serves as a research center in Pondicherry. It has been used as the abode of the noteworthy poet, and playwright Kanaka Subburatnam. The house conserves his finest literary work that serves as a motivational source for visitors. Some of the greatest compositions have been made at this museum. The Puducherry Union Territory government has adopted the song written by this poet to call Tamil Goddess as the state song.
The devotion of Subramanya Bharathi has made him popularly recognized as Bharathidasan that implies ‘Disciple of Bharathi’. This poet was born in Puducherry and is acclaimed all over the world for his world-class plays, film scripts, and poems. The period of the nineteenth century to the twentieth century from the transition of Bharathi to Bharathidasan was regarded as the golden era of Tamil literature.
The script of Bharathidasanfor patriotic movies has got him several accolades. All his notable creations revolved around the rights of women, the Dravidian culture, and social stigmas.
Timings of Pondicherry Museum: 9:40 AM to 1 PM and 2 PM to 5:20 PM
Visiting Days: The museum is open on all days except Mondays
Visit Duration: 1 hour
3. Pondicherry Museum, Pondicherry
This museum is also called the Pondy Museum or the Puducherry Museum. It showcases a vast collection of artifacts or plethora that have been reclaimed from Arikamedu. You will find stone statues, and rare bronze at this museum. It dates back to the rule of the Chola & Pallava dynasties. The Pondicherry Museum also showcases the petrified trunks of ancient trees that have been well conserved in the foyer.
This museum displays the story of this region through 3 different ages. The first one was the age of Roman, and Greek trade via the objects mined from Arikamedu.
Another one showed the age of the Chola&Pallava dynasties via the stone sculptures and statues. A few other things that you would find at this museum are burial urns, glass beads, and arms. The third one would present you all the things from the time of French colonialism via the church remains and French furniture.
This museum enlivens the white town area of this city. You will also see a massive transportation system from the past. It includes a palanquin, a pousse, and a coach that needs a minimum of two attendants to begin it.
There is a wide of sculptures of Indian goddesses, and gods with an incredible assembly of temple lamps in the bronze gallery present in this museum. You will also find here images of Lord Buddha from Kirmampakkam along with arms and weapons from the period of Nayaka, and Vijayanagara.
The Pondicherry museum provides a geological gallery that comprises a specialized collection of primitive coins, French home decoration items, handicrafts, and ceramics. The fossil gallery at this museum provides a wide range of fossils and shells that tells you a lot about the Roman period in this city.
You will find a wide of antique glass paintings at the painting gallery. In addition to it, there are a few more variations in paintings such as colonial portraits, contemporary painting work with pastels, and oil, and Tanjore paintings. Overall, the Pondicherry museum is a remarkable place to learn about the diverse, and rich heritage, and history of Pondicherry city.
Entry Fee: The entrance fee charged for people in this museum is Rs. 5 for children, Rs. 10 for adults, and Rs. 50 for foreigners.
Timings of Pondicherry Museum: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Visiting Days: The museum is open on all days except on Mondays and national holidays
Visit Duration: 1 to 2 hours
4. Jawahar Toy Museum, Pondicherry
This museum offers a wide variety of ornamented dolls, and puppets. Due to this feature, people especially children are very interested to visit this museum. Its collection has more than 120 dolls on display that showcases the costumes and cultures of different Indian states. Another attraction of this museum is a little fairyland that is showcased with a small-sized idol of Lord Ganesha that is positioned in a way that looks as if he watches over the procession.
This museum is popular mostly for its creativity in the form of design, ornament, and decoration. These designs inform children about distinct cultures of varied parts of the nation that spreads the message of “Unity in Diversity”.
Entry to this museum is free for kids, and adults. It is a great place for entertainment and information for everyone.
Timings of Pondicherry Museum: 10 AM to 5 PM
Visiting Days: The museum is open on all days except Mondays
Visit Duration: 1 hour
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5. Ananda Ranga Pillai Museum, Pondicherry
Ananda Ranga Pillai has worked as a language interpreter for the governor of Pondicherry. At that time, the French rule thrived in the region. It was developed as his residence in 1738 ACE. This building is a distinctive blend of Indian and French architectural styles. It is still considered one of the most ancient buildings in the western region of the town that was known to be the quarters of the nation.
The museum has to date conserved the journals of Pillai that provides critical information pertaining to French India. These journals have been decoded in the twentieth century enlivening the Anglo-French Carnatic battle and the life of people in the eighteenth century.
The museum showcases the extravagant lifestyle of ancient people in the French colony and the housing style from this long-gone period. Visitors need to get special permission for visiting this museum cum mansion.
Timings of Pondicherry Museum: 10 AM to 6 PM
Visiting Days: The museum is open on all days
Visit Duration: 1 hour
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Another museum is also there, Police Museum in White Town.
Where is Jawahar Toy Museum? Exact Location pls
I don’t think Ananda Ranga Pillai Museum is open to public..