Dakshinachitra

If you did your schooling in Chennai, there is a good chance that you have already visited DakshinaChitra. The two-decade-old museum is one of the top excursion spots for kids, and quite predictably, “out of the two lakh footfalls per year, 50,000 are children” — a statistic that Deborah Thiagarajan, founder of the museum, is quite proud of. This way, Thiagarajan and her team believe, the awareness about traditional culture and architecture is being fed at the grass-root level. And unarguably so. It’s a dry class of history made interesting. Each house is a reflection of the culture of a community and geography of a region. For instance, inside a Silk Weaver’s House, that the museum uprooted from Reddy Pattai Street, Chinna Kanchipuram, to Muttukadu, one finds a large loom instead of conventional furniture. Apparently, the silk weavers did not separate their professional and personal lives, and when they had to host a function at their house, they would simply move the loom to a different room. Drenched in history A few feet away are the Potter’s House from Chengalpet, built using mud and reed; and a Coastal Andhra House, known as Chutillu or ‘round house’, made out of strong cob walls that keep the raging winds at bay. Walk into the Syrian Christian House from Puthuppally, Kottayam District, Kerala, and suddenly, the architecture is vastly different. There is a long verandah, steeped roof, lots of underground storage area, granary and fine wood craft. Unlike the weaver’s ...

A unique concept of bringing South India’s cultural traditions all under one roof, Dakshin Chitra is a little out of the city (25 kilometers) but certainly worth your while. Dakshin Chitra actually means "picture of the south" and that’s exactly what you should expect to see. Educational and fun at the same time, this is a center for a complete orientation to Southern India’s four states. You can experience the living traditions, performing arts, music, crafts and architecture on the 10-acre spread. The earthy feel of the structure and its surroundings transport visitors into the cultural milieu. Dakshin Chitra is great for both children and adults as you can try your hand at glass blowing, pottery and traditional games. Absolutely authentic and wonderful place to see. Must see in my eyes. So fascinating how close different religions and ethnic groups embossed this country through the centuries. Wonderful art and crafts work can be seen. And lucky me I visited on a holiday so they had many attractions to see. And even the market of artist who are coming from outside to sell their products. It was absolutely amazing Jan 24 visited Dakshi Chitra with a foreign national relative. 1.Tickets are differently priced -why they are charging more for a foreign national . Is it racism or discrimination or scam? 2. Not a single artisan was there, nothing to see. At least at ticket counter artisan unavailability should be told so we can make decision about visiting or no Dakshin Chitra...

Ancestral home of the native communities in Kodagu district, will likely be ready by 2024 only. Meanwhile, the Kerala Muslim house The ainmane though will take longer to set up, says Nambiar, and is likely to ready only by 2024. “We were on the trail of an ainmane for years until we chanced upon this one in the Arapattu village in Coorg. Each ainmane’s belongs to an okka or clan, so you have generations of family living there,” he says. That has been reconstructed at Dakshinchitra will be open for visitors from March 2023 The architectural style of an ainmane is unique. The ceiling is built of cross beams that are covered with wooden planks to form an attic used to store grains or household utensils. “Carved wooden elements are visible when you go into the verandah of the house and in all the rooms. This house was set amid a coffee farm and so beans were spread out to dry in the yard. We plan to plant coffee around the house after it has been reconstructed,” says Nambiar.

Dakshinachitra in Chennai is an amusing open-air, real-time museum as well as a well known cultural center. It shows you the amazing antiquities depicting the peculiarity of South India. It gives you a glimpse of art and craft, lifestyle, music and dance of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Inaugurated in 1996, Dakshinachitra of Chennai, has got the atmosphere that reflects a mirror of one of the ancient cultures of the world. The cultural village of Dakshinachitra at Chennai has brought into light the ancient traditions of architecture, craftsmanship, performing arts and cuisine of South India. It also serves as a center for craft communities in the South, as it renders technical and business openings. Dakshinachitra of Chennai provides technical and business inputs to many craft centers located in South India. Events in Dakshinachitra include: • guided tours • exhibitions • workshops for kids and adults • demos of folk theater • other arts and crafts • theme dinners • special programs on request • exchange programs for scholars and professionals. Facilities provided are: • Reception center • craft shop • open-air theater • snack bar • orientation films • conference rooms Other information regarding Dakshinachitra of Chennai are as follows: • Timing: You can visit the Dakshinachitra between 10 am to 6 pm, six days a week. But it is closed on Tuesdays. You can stay at: • Fisherman’s Cove in Mamallapuram Tel: 04114-44304 • Hotel Tamil Nadu at the Beach Resor...

Dakshinachitra Museum, located in Chennai, is one of the living-history museums in India. It stores in itself great works of architecture, crafts, performing arts, and lifestyles that belong to South India. The museum has its vision and mission to promote the cultures of South Indian states by making them more engaging and enjoyable for its viewers. It is a project of Madras Craft Foundation which is an NGO that was opened to the public on 14th December 1996. The heritage museum is home to 4,220 artefacts and 1,000,000 pictures. Visiting here will give you an in-depth knowledge of south Indian heritage. You are going to leave with the most magnificent treasures of learning. Developed in the form of a village, it showcases the traditional lifestyle of South Indians. It is a collection of 18 authentic houses, each having its own contextual exhibition. These homes are purchased, broken down, transported and lastly reconstructed by professional artisans or Stapathis who belong to the places from where the houses are bought. Moreover, Dakshina Chitra itself means the 'house of south'. So, if you are a person of history, and a person of culture who is deeply attached to its roots this place is for you.Visit Dakshinachitra Museum to explore and learn about the life and history of South India. The museum was started by MCF which was founded by Deborah Thiagarajan in 1984. It is a heritage lifestyle village that displays lives of people in different South Indian states. Thiagarajan...

We’ve completed a circle around the sun and the festival celebrating the sun and the first harvest of the year in all its glory is back again. However, one of the most awaited Pongal celebrations in the city, Pongal at pongal ceremony (that involves cooking sweet rice in clay pots) will be the main event one can also look forward to several Tamil folk dance performances including mayilattam, silambattam and thappattam. Several Pongal-related games are also being organised at the venue for people of all age groups. Pongal festivities at the venue have been a calendar regular since they threw their doors open in 1996 and they were one of the few venues to host COVID-19-friendly celebrations even during last year’s lockdown in January. The two day-long event promises to be a treat for any culture aficionado. INR 175 per person. 11 am onwards. January 14 & 15. [email protected] | @elromal