Dakshinachitra is a village-museum which is created as a replica of ancient South Indian villages. It contains typical houses, streets, gardens and stages of South India. The structures look alike those of south Indian rural dwellings.
Location of Dakshinachitra
In the heart of Chennai city, Dakshinachitra is located at the place of Muttukkadu, almost 10 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.
History of Dakshinachitra
Dakshinachitra was founded by Madras Craft Foundation and opened to public view in 1996. Deborah Thiagarajan, an Indian-American historian led the functioning of the museum. The museum was founded with the intention of preserving ancient south Indian culture and traditions.
Amenities of Dakshinachitra
The building of Dakshinachitra rightly throws light on its rich cultural embellishments. There are more than 4000 artefacts and 18 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.
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 catalogued 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-day life of the people of South India.
Programs in Dakshinachitra
The museum also hosts a number of activities related to arts, crafts and stage performances. 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 cities 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.
Visiting Information of Dakshinachitra
Dakshinachitra is open every day except Tuesday for public viewing. The entry fees are also allotted. One can easily locate the Dakshinachitra Museum. Travelling by any local transportation will reach this place.
