The Best of Egmore Museum, Chennai
The Egmore Museum in Chennai is the second oldest museum in India. It is home to a remarkable collection of stone sculptures, prehistoric artefacts and exquisite bronzes. Carved over 2000 years ago, the Amaravati Marbles are the earliest examples of Buddhist art in the world. In an adjoining bay, 1500-year-old inscriptions hold clues as to how languages evolved. Burial urns and potshards from Keeladi and Adichanallur give us a glimpse into life in ancient Tamil settlements. And the museum’s collection of bronze sculptures from the Chola period is priceless and unmatched. Lend an ear to their stories and you will experience history like never before. Explore all this and more on this selection of the best stories from the Egmore Museum.
This free audio tour is brought to you thanks to the generous support of Pando. Visit pando.ai to learn more about them.
We thank Tamil Nadu Tourism and the Department of Museums for their support in making this audio tour possible
Key Information
Gallery
Earthernware artefacts showcase
Carnelian beads, Indus Valley. These beads, probably used as ornaments, were collected from Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa.
Inscribed hero stone, Hemavati, AP. This is one of the more detailed stones, being laid out in 3 panels, with extensive inscriptions.
Hero stones section
Chola Thiruindalur copper plate collection
Chola Thiruindalur copper plate collection. The ring bears this inscription - 'This charter contains 86 plates', Chola dynasty, 11th century CE
Shaivite Bronze gallery
Bronze sculpture of Appar, Trichy dist., TN, 12th century CE
Highlights
The Bronze gallery is considered to have one of the most exquisite collections of bronze sculptures from the Chola era.
The Adichanallur Gallery in the Anthropology Building houses a wealth of artefacts from an Iron Age civilisation. Keep an eye out for some of India’s earliest discovered prehistoric tools and artefacts.
Preview
Sample stories from this trail
Tips and Suggestions
The Egmore Museum is open from 10:30 AM to 6:30 PM, six days of the week. The museum is closed on Fridays and on 3 national holidays - 26 January, 15 August and 2 October. The museum is also closed for Pongal (harvest festival) and Deepavali (dates as per the holiday list released by TN Government). Ticket counters close at 5:00 PM.
You will need to purchase a ticket to enter the museum. Ticket prices vary for Indian and foreign visitors. Student discounts are also available, but you must carry a valid student ID to avail them.
Adults (Indians): Rs 50/-
Children (Indians): Rs 25/-
School Children (Indians): Rs 20/-
Adults (Foreigners): Rs 250/-
Children (Foreigners): Rs 125/-
School Children (Foreigners): Rs 75/-
Photography: Rs 250/-
Videography: Rs 700/-
The timings and ticket prices are subject to change. Please check the Museum website (www.govtmuseumchennai.org/museum) before your visit.
Egmore Museum
3, Pantheon Rd, Egmore, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600008
Before You Go
MUSEUM
The Egmore Museum is spread across multiple buildings. This trail begins at the Museum Theatre, and then covers the Archaeology galleries, including the Stone sculptures gallery, Copper plates gallery, Amaravati gallery, the Epigraphy section, amongst others. The next stop is the Anthropology building, which houses the Adichanallur gallery, the Indus Valley Civilisation gallery and the Ethnology gallery. The trail concludes at the Bronze gallery building. The museum has many other galleries, including Zoology, Botany, Geology and Numismatics. The National Art Gallery and the Contemporary Art Gallery buildings house many traditional and modern paintings, including works associated with painters like Raja Ravi Varma. The Connemara library is worth visiting for its beautiful Indo-Saracenic architecture, featuring Islamic-style arches, decorative Indian motifs and European planning and symmetry.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Photography is permitted inside the Egmore Museum if you buy a camera ticket.