Chennai houses some great museums with rich collections of arts and antiquities. Some reputed museums located in the city include Government Museum, National Arts Gallery, Birla Planetarium, Cholamandal Artists' Village (galleries) and Periyar Science and Technology Centre. Government Museum and National Arts Gallery features some precious collections of arts and crafts. Periyar Science and Technology Centre and Birla Planetarium have in their collection some modern marvels and models of science. Cholamandal Artists' Village houses art galleries where some masterpieces are safeguarded.

Government Museum

The Government Museum was initially housed in the College of Fort St. George. In the same era an elite British group, by the name of Pantheon Committee, was working to improve the social life of expatriates in the city. To carry out their mission the Pantheon group constructed a group of buildings. These buildings were spread over an area of about 16.25 acres. The Government Museum expanded vigorously and needed a new place. It was year 1851 when the museum was moved into the buildings constructed by the committee. The museum, at present, consists of a number of sections holding some rare collections throughout the continent.
Government Museum of Chennai lies off the Pantheon Road in the Egmore region of the city suburbs. The museum is one of the prime attractions in the city. It is one of the first government sponsored museum in Indian sub continent. The museum is one great tourist destination in the state of Tamil Nadu, besides popular temples and monuments.

The Government Museum is the first such institution to be established by the government. The museum at Chennai contains some of the priced collections in Asia. The museum makes up a grand repository encompassing art gallery, theatre, public library and more. The museum complex has been divided into various sections based on certain defined fields. These sections include Geology, Archeology, Anthropology, Numismatics, Botany, Zoology and Sculpture.

The galleries of the museum house real treasures and are worth a peek. There are four galleries in all, which are- Hindu Sculpture Gallery, Bronze Gallery, Amravathi Gallery and the National Art Gallery. The bronze sculptures are exceptional featuring masterpieces like bronzes of Nataraja, Durga, Ganesha, all belonging to the Chola Empire.

The objects considered to belong to industrial arts are fascinating. Wood carving, ivory work, metal carving and inlay work is presented by the collection of industrial arts. A rich collection of coins belonging to different historical periods are housed in the Numismatics section. The Archeological section contains 400 objects of art.

Besides the popular sections there is one section dedicated to the children. The Children's museum is meant to inculcate curiosity level and better understanding of various existing phenomena. Some galleries of Children's Museum include Civilization Gallery, the Transportation Gallery and the Kids Corner.

The museum is located in the vicinity of Egmore Railway Station, less than a kilometre away. From central railway station the place is about two kms away.
The museum is open on all days except Fridays and National Holidays. The visiting hours of the museum are from 9.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.

Birla Planetarium

Birla Planetarium features a fully computerized planetarium located in the Kotturpuram suburbs of Chennai city. The planetarium is an integral part of Periyar Science and Technology Centre, a premier institute in the southern state of India, Tamil Nadu. Birla Planetarium is situated on the Gandhi Mandapam Road with the nearest bus stop and railway station being Kotturpuram Bus Stop and Kotturpuram Railway Station. The bus station is about two kms north of the planetarium and the railway station about a kilometre in the north-east.
Provided with the state of art technology, the planetarium reproduces the celestial experience down here. The observatory features fully computerized projector and one of sophisticated pieces of technology, that is GM II projector. The audio video shows hosted by the institution elucidate comprehensive knowledge as well as personal experience of various cosmic phenomena. The planetarium provides an air conditioned complex with seating capacity for 236 persons at any given time. The complex also houses a sound studio, seminar hall and a class room. These places are provided for various interactions and discourses that are offered by the science centre. The popular exhibits of the centre include Solar System, Cycle of Stars, Sky and Seasons, Comets, Man on the Moon. If you are interested in catching the stars or have a look at the meteoroids then make it sure to visit the place on second Saturday of the week. The show featuring night watching is held

Birla Planetarium is a fully computerized planetarium featuring an audio video sojourn of the cosmic space. The planetarium started as a project in the year1988 and the establishment responsible for its inception was the famous Periyar Science and Technology Centre of Chennai. The planetarium was built in the memory of the leading industrialist and visionary of India, B.M. Birla. The planetarium hosts regular shows pertaining to the astronomy. The place, since its inception is a frequently visited place by tourists, students, environmentalists and people inclined to astronomy.

Periyar Science and Technology Centre

Periyar Science and Technology Centre was started in the year 1983. The centre has been named after a great revolutionary leader and visonary from South India, Thanthai Periyar. The visionary was among the earliest advocates who supported modern scientific approaches in understanding various phenomena. The centre exists as a multi purpose science and technological centre aimed to bring awareness as well developments in the said field. The ubiquitous Birla Planetarium forms one of the parts of the centre. The complex built over a good 21 acres of land is provided with great store houses of information. The card-carrying complex consists of a number of galleries. The five credited galleries of Periyar Science and Technology Centre are Periyar's Teachings, Transport, Electronics & Communication, Physical Sciences and Children's Hall of Sciences.

Cholamandal Artists' Village
Prior to 1965 the region was one sparsely populated or abandoned region lying south of the famous city. The much epitomized village came into being following the initiative taken by a group of artists and the inception of a self sustaining arts centre in the year 1965. In the same year a group of regional artists bought the land here and started the institution. The place was named after the regional patrons that is Cholas, who had made great contributions in the past. Cholamandal Artists' Village houses cottages of a score of reputed artists who devote their lives to arts.