The Puducherry Museum has a rare collection of articles that were excavated from the Arikamedu site near the region of Pondicherry. The relics reveal the prevalence of trade in the region of Pondicherry with the Roman empire in the early centuries and even during the prechristian age. The museum also has a display of the various means of transport used in the early period of the colonial rule in Pondicherry.
The Ananda Ranga Pillai Museum is a storehouse of the rare compilation of diaries by the dubash of the French Governor Dupleix, Ananda Ranga Pillai. The building in which the dubash resided has now been converted into the premises of the museum.
Two other museums preserve the literature of the region of Pondicherry. The Bharathi Memorial Museum and the Bharathidasan Museum were the residence of the popular literary artists of the region that has now been converted into the museum.
Two other museums are devoted for the entertainment of the children of the region. The Jawahar Toy Museum displays dolls that represent the different states of the country and the Children's Museum preserve snail shells that are collected in the beaches of Pondicherry.
The Pondicherry museums are informative and reveal the rich and ancient culture and heritage of the territory of Pondicherry.
Jawahar Toy Museum
The Jawahar Toy Museum has a rare collection of toys and decorated dolls that are representative of the culture of the region and the country. The museum is like a doll's house that is frequently visited by the children who enjoy watching the decorated and ornamented puppets and playthings.
Jawahar Toy Museum is one of the rarest and the most artistic displays of the country are preserved in the Jawahar Toy Museum. The museum has a collection of 120 dolls that are designed and decorated. The costumes worn by the dolls represent the varied culture of the country. The dolls are dressed in their traditional attire and represent the culture of the region. The 120 dolls represent the different states of the country. The beauty of the dolls from Punjab, Bengal, Harayana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Assam, Kashmir and the states of south India dazzle the visitors of the museum. The designs and the ornamentation also portray the excellence in artistry with which these dolls were created.
The museum also has a section which displays a fairyland with the puppet doll of the Lord Ganesha presiding over the proceedings of the fairyland. The Jawahar Toy Museum is situated in the Goubert Avenue near the lighthouse. The museum is open on all days of the week. It remains closed on Mondays and on national holidays.
The Jawahar Toy Museum is one of the Pondicherry museums that is informative and entertaining at the same time. The museum informs the children who gather in large numbers of the unity in diversity of the country.
Bharati and Bharatidasan Memorial Museums
Bharati and Bharatidasan Memorial Museums are housed in the dwelling places of the two Tamil poets Subramanya Bharathi and Kanakasubburatnam respectively. Both of these writers are pillars of Tamil literature. At present, their houses have been converted into museums for preservation of their work and things that has been used by them.
Subramanya Bharathi (1882-1921), popularly known as Bharathiyar, came to Pondicherry in 1908 as a runaway from the then ruling Britishers of India. Pondicherry was a French colony for long and this Tamil patriot and great poet made his abode in this peaceful place. Some of the best patriotic compositions of Subramanya Bharathi were composed here in this house on 20, Eswaran Dharamaraja Koil Street, Pondicherry - 605001, where the museum stands today. Some of his finest romantic poems were also products of this time. The Bharathiar Memorial Museum - cum - Research Center, Pondicherry also displays other manuscripts, photographs and letters of the great poet.
The Bharatidasan Museum had been the house of the renowned poet and playwright Kanakasubburatnam (1891 - 1960), who would call himself Bharatidasan, meaning the disciple of Bharati. He was an ardent follower of Subramanya Bharathi and his works were equally good like Bharati. He also flourished writing scripts for films. Some of them related to the rights of women and on Dravidian culture are highly acclaimed. The memorial museum stands on 95 Perumal Koil Street, Pondicherry.
Bharati and Bharatidasan Memorial Museums salute these great poets and the preservations remain as witness to a golden era of Tamil literature.
Pondicherry Museums
One of the popular Pondicherry Museums of the region is The Puducherry Museum located in the building that was formerly known as the Law Building along the Saint Louis Street in Pondicherry. The museum is a storehouse of a rare collection of items that belong to the Pallava and Chola dynasties. Open on all days of the week excepting Mondays, the museum is a repository of the rare artifacts of the region.
The museum is open on all days from 10 A.M in the morning to 5 P.M in the evening. It remains closed on all national holidays. The courtyard of the museum preserves the fossilized trunks of the age old trees. Several statues carved on stone also stand on the foyer of the museum. The ground floor exhibits the earlier means of transport used in the region of Pondicherry. Among them are the pousse-pousse that is a kind of rickshaw pulled by a steer and pushed by his assistant, a coach and a palanquin. The relics excavated from Arikamedu are exhibited in the museum. These exhibits comprise of precious stones and glass beads that belong to the prechristian age. Some of the relics excavated from Arikamedu also reveal the interaction of the people of the region with the Romans in the early centuries. Bronze statues of Gods and Goddesses are also present in the museum.
The geological section of The Puducherry Museum has a rare collection of coins, handicrafts and church relics. Furniture belonging to the French period are also present in the museum. The museum has separate sections for fossils and shells.
Last Updated on 30 May 2013
