Located in the heart of Chennai city, DakshinaChitra , or "a picture of the south", as it is meant in English, is a hub of living art traditions , conventional performing arts, crafts and architectural works of the country with due emphasis on South Indian customs and practices.

For public viewing, DakshinaChitra was inaugurated as a part of a project undertaken by a non-profit organization, namely Madras Craft Foundation (MCF) in the year 1996. DakshinaChitra is located at the place of Muttukadu, almost twenty five kilometers south of Chennai, lying on the `East Coast Road` to Mamallapuram , almost encompassing ten rolling estate and also leaving out the Bay of Bengal.

The building of DakshinaChitra rightly throws light on its rich cultural embellishments. There are seventeen `heritage houses`; a few strides ahead can easily lead one to innovative `streetscapes`. A lot more `contextual` expositions are organized which provide ample scopes for interaction with the traditional folk artists and also get to see their heart rendering performances in a suitable locale.

Keeping in mind the main objectives of increasing consciousness regarding South Indian art and cultural traditions, various educational programs have been organized by the authorities of DakshinaChitra. The Education Team at DakshinaChitra works with multitudes of experts. Thus children are invited both from towns as well as from in order to throw some light on some activities related to the South Indian culture, art etc. By doing these DakshinaChitra aspires to arouse ingenuity and confidence amongst the young people.

Further, DakshinaChitra has taken the onus of carrying out research works on pictorial and video documentation of performing artist, craft works, festival fetes and architectural wonders. Once in two years DakshinaChitra organizes international seminars and conferences where the issues and agendas that are discussed are later brought out in seminar publications.

Also quite a few workshops on architecture are organized at DakshinaChitra with the sole purpose of creating an enhanced alertness and thoughtfulness regarding traditional local architecture, their materials, proficiencies and preservation. The target audiences for these workshops are youthful architects and architecture pupils.

A special Archives and Library has been established to supplement and assist research oriented programs by the DakshinaChitra, focusing on South Indian arts and crafts. The hub also has a spectacular archiving sector comprising of cataloged photographs, CD, videos and also hi tech editing conveniences.DakshinaChitra also has set up a Museum with its huge collection of the artworks and materials of day to life of the people of South India.

For public viewing, DakshinaChitra is open every day except Tuesday. The entry fees are also allotted. Indians need to pay fifty rupees and students pay twenty-five rupees. Foreign tourists have different rates. Foreigners in general pay one hundred and seventy five. Seventy rupees are allotted for foreign students.