- Location: The museum is located on Pantheon Road, Egmore, Chennai- 600008
- Timings: The museum remains open from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm every day, except for Friday. The museum remains closed on Fridays.
- Other official holidays on which the museum remains closed are: Republic Day (26th Jan), Independence Day (15th August), and Gandhi Jayanti (2nd October).
Each visit can approximately take from 1 to 2 hours.
- Entry fee: The entry fee at the museum is charged 15 INR for Indians, while foreigners are charged 250 INR.
There are extra fees applicable for individuals carrying a camera or video documentation kits.
For Indians, the charges for still cameras with bigger lenses are 200 INR, while foreigners are levied 500 INR.
Children below the age of 7, are charged INR 10 for Indian families and INR 125 for foreigners.
School students, carrying documentation proof of the same, are entitled to special discounts on the entry fees. Indian bonafide school students are charged at INR 5 and foreigners at INR 75.
History of Government Museum
In the year 1778, the Madras Governor to British India extended a 43-acre land to a civil surgeon, who later set up a city planning committee of 24 members in 1793 to use the land for establishing a building for pubic amusement. The government later used the area to establish the “Central Museum”.
Since then, the Pantheon complex of which the museum building is a part of, has gone through several renovations, including the addition of the Connemara Public Library. The creative heads behind the project, to whom the design of the museum building is credited are the British architect Henry Irwin and Namberumal Chetty- his Indian counterpart. The original collection of the museum was formed from a body of 1,100 geological specimens which was handed over to the museum as a gift from the Madras Literary Society.
This collection includes nearly 20,000 gifted articles for display, ranging from rocks to books.The books were later placed in the Connemara Library. Another amazing historical fact about the site is that the ground floor of the building had housed the first zoo of Madras in 1855, having more than 300 animals, which was later shifted to the People’s Park in 1863.
Places to Eat near Government Museum
1. Ajnabi Mithai Ghar- At 0.2 km from the museum at 149 Pantheon Road, this outlet offers a large collection in special Indian sweetmeats, chats, and light vegetarian breakfast. You can find vegan options at Ajnabi Mithai, and a variety of spreads for lunch , brunch, and breakfast.
2. PalmShore Multi-cuisine BBQ- Palm Shore is a great option to have a hearty meal when you are craving something different than Indian cuisine. Located on the Pantheon Road at a 0.2 km stretch from the Government Museum, this eatery has a collection of Arabic and Tandoor grilled delicacies.
3. Roll Over- Located on the Hardevi Chambers, Pantheon Road at Egmore, Roll Over has a variety of delectable ice-creams in store. Handcrafted ice-creams, Sundaes, and pastries from this shop satisfy the sweet tooth like nothing else!
4. The Society Restaurant- Located 0.3 km from the Government Museum, The Society is a classy place to have lunch at. You can choose from Indian, Chinese, and International cuisines here and also take your pick from pure vegetarian alternatives.
Travelers' Tips for visiting Government Museum
1. Avoid visiting the museum during the weekends since the rush is generally high.
2. On Fridays, the museum remains closed, in addition to a list of other national holidays. Check before you arrange the tour.
3. Visit the official museum website to avail of more information regarding the museum.
4. Carry a notebook and a pen since photography of exhibits inside the museum is not allowed and you might want to take down some information or reference points to aid your research for satisfying personal curiosities.
