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Tamil Nadu
Chennai District
Chennai (Madras)
Places to visit in Chennai (Madras)
Government Museum

Government Museum, Chennai (Madras): Hours, Address, Government Museum Reviews: 3.5/5

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Government Museum

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See all things to do
Government Museum
3.5
351
#44 of 419 things to do in Chennai (Madras)
Speciality Museums
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9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
About
This majestic complex comprises six buildings and nearly fifty galleries; the impressive works cross every era and branch of science and art, from zoology and anthropology to puppetry, painting and fibre optic sculpture.
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
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Tours & experiences
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The area
Neighbourhood: Egmore
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Popular mentions
3.5
351 reviews
Excellent
85
Very good
128
Average
89
Poor
31
Terrible
18
Eileen108
Mount Shasta, CA3,714 contributions
HUGE Sprawling Museum
Feb 2022
This place is absolutely HUGE! Several sprawling buildings house the excellent displays on all subjects from history, plant, animal, culture, everything! Some of the displays are in serious need to maintenance, though. You could easily spend several days here.
Written 23 February 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Joseph Carlton
London, UK8 contributions
Gothic building and good collection
Apr 2021 • Business
The museum is an fantastic gothic building and stands out. The collection is quite fascinating. I spent the most time in Bronze statues. Don't miss the sections of bronze from Chola period. Quite a memorable visit.
Written 13 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
sheetal
London, UK3 contributions
Great Chola bronzes
Jan 2021 • Solo
I am an art lover and how come someone skip the Chola bronzes and you get to see some of the most exquisite pieces of that period. Dancing Nataraja, Kalyansunder, different saints, deity etc all casted painstakingly in bronze. Its just in the centre of city.
Written 11 January 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
jgkrishnan
Chennai (Madras), India25 contributions
Museum to visit at Chennai
Feb 2020
It is in heart of the city. Nice collections. Good arrangements. Parking facility available. Must see location.
Written 9 January 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Gayathri P
Chennai (Madras), India78 contributions
Very Informative and must visit place
Feb 2020
One of the well organised and maintained museum in TamilNadu, India.
They have seperate wings and galleries for each section and they have
exclusive kids museum which will be good learning cum fun for kids.
connemara library is also located and functioning in this premises.
Written 11 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Honisoiquimalypense
Derby, UK1,355 contributions
Neat (fabulous) bronze section.
Mar 2020 • Couples
We paid a flying visit to this Museum to see the famous Chola bronzes. This is a superb collection of bronzes spread over 2 floors, some dating back over 1000 years. Lost of depictions do Shive, Vishnu and Parvati. The most famous is the Ardhanarishvara bronze which is half Shiva ( male right half) and Shakti (female left half) each with their respective sensual attributes!
We had no time to see anything else - there were neat buildings there but some needing repair!
Written 6 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Wil Chung
Crewe, UK684 contributions
Mixture of great and awful
Mar 2020 • Solo
Visited here solo to take in more of Indian and Tamil life. The museum is made up of a number of buildings each with their own unique galleries. The cost for foreigners is 250 (Indians is just 15). I understand a "tourist tax" but the multiple is huge!
The good first - bronze exhibits, stone sculptures and contemporary arts were gorgeous.
Whilst pretty much everything else was terrible. The natural history exhibits were very old and not really well looked after, whilst the children's museum is pretty laughable (see picture of Indian costumes)
It is a good way to spend some time in Chennai, I was just expecting more. Not angry, just disappointed.
Written 1 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Cathy
Paris, France3 contributions
Outstanding
Feb 2020 • Business
The building is magnificent and so is the bronze collection. I spend a couple of hours just at the bornzw sculpture section. Very good place to spend a couple of hours
Written 26 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
AURELIO L
ANDRIA ITALY1,068 contributions
see it
Dec 2019
it s an interesting experiene to see the museums,you can begin to study indian art and indian culture
Written 8 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Mrudula
111 contributions
Suburb of chennai
Aug 2019
This is the very old museum in chennai and the architecture is built as in the Indo-Sarcenic style and it has huge collection of articles
Written 21 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Government Museum
Government Museum is open:
  • Sat - Thu 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Buy tickets in advance on Tripadvisor. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel at least 24 hours before the start date of your tour for a full refund.
We recommend booking Government Museum tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 10 Government Museum tours on Tripadvisor
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