The state of Tamil Nadu is located in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula. It is the sixth-most populous state of India and is ranked second in total employment (9.97 percent) in India. This state has religious sites that include Hindu temples of Tamil architecture, hill stations, beach resorts, multi-religious pilgrimage sites and eight world heritage sites. They have not only beautified this state but have also made Tamil Nadu one of the famous tourist destinations in India. Museums of Tamil Nadu are no exception in this regard. They have also added value to the tourism of this state. These museums will familiarize its visitors with the past, resources and cultural heritage of Tamil Nadu. They serve as ideal places for historical buffs.
Museums of Tamil Nadu
Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu serves as a home to museums like Fort Museum, Regional Railway Museum, Egmore Museum, Government Museum and Click Art Museum. Coimbatore houses Forest College Museum and Gedee Car Museum. Sea Shell Museum and Sculpture Museum add to the beauty of a place called Mahabalipuram. Wax World Museum and M and N Chocolate Museum are situated in Ooty. Some of the other museums in Tamil Nadu are Gandhi Memorial Museum, Madurai; Kanyakumari Wax Museum, Kanyakumari; Dakshina Chitra Museum, Muttukadu; Shembaganur Museum of Natural History, Kodaikanal; Archeological Museum of India, Vellore; Government Museum, Pudukkottai; Railway Heritage Centre cum Railway Museum, Tiruchirappalli; etc.
Exhibits of Museums of Tamil Nadu
Fort Museum houses arms like swords, daggers, rifles and pistols, mortars, petard, cannon shots, breast plates, helmets, baton etc. Regional Railway Museum is a storehouse of models of trains. Government Museum contains artifacts and objects covering diverse fields including archeology, numismatics, zoology, natural history, sculptures, palm-leaf manuscripts and Amravati paintings. Click Art Museum has paintings so cleverly created that they will result in optical illusion. Forest College Museum houses rarest species of dead plants and animals. Sea Shell Museum houses rare and unique sea shells. Sculpture Museum houses over 3000 local sculptures in stone, wood, metal and cement. Some paintings are also part of the exhibits of this museum. Gandhi Memorial Museum is dedicated to India"s Father of Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. Kanyakumari Wax Museum has wax statues of influential personalities of India and the world. Dakshina Chitra Museum is a living-history museum containing items which highlight the daily life of the people in the southern states. Railway Heritage Centre has indoor exhibits like rare photographs, maps, gazettes, railway manuals etc. Its outdoor exhibits are a couple a vintage locomotive engines and a functional toy train.