5/5 Vignesh C. 3 years ago on Google
The
Government
Museum
or
Madras
Museum
is
a
museum
of
human
history
and
culture
located
in
the
Government
Museum
Complex
in
the
neighbourhood
of
Egmore
in
Chennai,
India.
Started
in
1851,
it
is
the
second
oldest
museum
in
India
after
the
Indian
Museum
in
Kolkata
and
is
the
tenth
oldest
Museum
in
the
World.
It
is
particularly
rich
in
archaeological
and
numismatic
collections.
It
has
the
largest
collection
of
Roman
antiquities
outside
Europe.
Among
them,
the
colossal
Museum
Theatre
is
one
of
the
most
impressive.
The
National
Art
Gallery
is
also
present
in
the
museum
premises.
Built
in
Indo-Saracenic
style,
it
houses
rare
European
and
Asian
painting
of
renowned
artists,
including
that
of
Raja
Ravi
Varma.
It
is
the
third
largest
museum
in
the
world,
and
with
0.6
million
visitors
in
2018.
It
has
the
richest
collections
of
bronze
idols,
500
of
them
dating
to
1000
BC,
in
Asia.
In
August
1778,
the
governor
of
Madras
granted
43
acres
for
an
estate
to
a
civil
servant,
who,
subsequently
in
1793,
assigned
the
grounds
to
a
committee
of
24
which
then
regulated
the
public
amusements
in
the
city.
In
1821,
the
committee
sold
the
main
house
and
central
garden
space
to
E.
S.
Moorat,
an
Armenian
merchant
who,
in
turn,
sold
it
back
to
the
government
in
1830.
The
government
first
used
the
buildings
and
the
grounds
as
the
collector's
"Cutcherry"
and
later
for
the
"Central
Museum."
The
museum
was
originally
established
in
a
building
on
College
Road
in
Nungambakkam
in
the
year
1851
and
was
shifted
to
the
present
site
in
1854.
Many
additions
to
the
original
building
were
constructed
between
1864
and
1890.
The
core
of
the
old
museum
building
includes
the
only
surviving
remnants
of
the
Pantheon,
identified
from
the
broad
steps
leading
into
it
when
viewed
from
the
north.
Amongst
the
additions
is
the
Connemara
Public
Library,
built
with
stained
glass
windows,
ornate
woodwork
and
elaborate
stucco
decorations,
formally
opened
in
1896
and
named
after
its
progenitor.
The
building
was
built
by
Namberumal
Chetty
and
was
designed
by
Henry
Irwin,
with
the
interiors
resembling
those
of
Bank
of
Madras
(SBI).
The
design
included
a
huge
reading
room
with
a
wooden
ceiling
between
two
curved
rows
of
stained
glass,
supported
by
ornate
pillars
and
arches
embellished
with
sculpted
acanthus
leaves.
It
was
supplemented
with
teakwood
furniture,
marbled
floor,
and
decorative
windows.
All
of
these
were
restored
in
2004–2007.
The
building
now
houses
the
Old
Collection
(pre-1930),
which
is
used
for
reference
purpose
only.
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