14. Dakshinachitra Museum, Chennai

The Dakshinachitra Museum, located in Chennai, is one of the living history museums of India. It stores within itself great works of architecture, crafts, performing arts and lifestyles that belong to South India. The museum has a vision and mission to promote the cultures of the South Indian states by making them more attractive and enjoyable for viewers. It is a project of the Madras Craft Foundation, which is an NGO that was opened to the public on December 14, 1996. The heritage museum houses 4,220 artifacts and 1,000,000 images. Visiting here will give you an in-depth knowledge of the South Indian heritage. You will walk away with the most magnificent treasures of learning.

Developed in the form of a village, it shows the traditional lifestyle of the South Indians. It is a collection of 18 authentic houses, each with its own contextual exhibition. These houses are bought, dismantled, transported and finally rebuilt by professional craftsmen or Stapathis who belong to the places where the houses are bought. Also, Dakshina Chitra itself means the 'southern house'. So if you are a history person and a cultured person deeply attached to your roots, this place is for you. Visit the Dakshinachitra Museum to explore and learn about South Indian life and history.

The architecture of the Dakshinachitra Museum

The museum is built with 18 heritage houses representing the lifestyle of people from the South Indian states: Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala and Karnataka. These houses are the actual houses that were demolished with the permission of the original owners and then brought here only to be built by the architecture students, labourers and carpenters. The Madras Handicraft Foundation bought the vernacular-style houses. These ranged from INR 50,000 to INR 1.5 million.

After they were properly dismantled under the guidance of Stapathis, they were recreated in the given space in their very original form. The roads and other things that existed in the old town were also recreated. Of course, anything good faces a lot of criticism, just like the Dakshina Chitra Museum. Many critics say the old town is scarred by American consumerism.