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The Pondicherry Museum
The Pondicherry museum is located in the former Law Building, which was
refurbished in 1997. The museum is worth seeing as a building and for some
of its exhibits.
On the ground floor, the major attraction is the central space with 3
curious transport mechanisms - a coach, a palanquin (sedan chair) and a
pousse-pousse, which required two attendants, one to steer and one to push
and some stupendous furniture. The bronze gallery displays the images of
gods and goddesses together with a wide collection of temple lamps, used
across different dynasties down centuries.
Pre-Christian relics which one will find here, such as remnants of Greek
and Roman amphora jars, pieces from the Tsung Periods in China and beads
made from glass and precious stones were dug out from the Arikamedu site,
just south of Pondicherry.
The Geology Room is hard to warm to; more interesting is the attached
shell and fossil room. The museum sells a book on Pondy sea snails, which
has very attractive pictures. The Foyer and Courtyard display various
stone statues, and for children a fossilised tree trunk. In the staircase
to the upper floor are burial urns to stimulate the imagination. The only
reasons to climb the stairs are the air and the view from the terraces.
Timing: 10.00am to 5.00pm, closed on Mondays and Holidays.
Bharatiyar Museum
Just across the canal from the ashram quarter is a restored but
increasingly unmaintained row of 20 connected Franco-Tamil facades on
Eswaran Koil Street. The Bharatiyar Museum is one of these buildings.
Ananda Rangapillai
The house of the famous Ananda Rangapillai (1738) is at the busy "backside"
of the Big Market. It is a splendid attraction and is easily accessible to
the public. Similarly, the 18th century mansion of Kattukara Appavupulle
on Nehru Street is a must visit but it bears no trace of its former
beauty.
The Bharathi Museum
The
Bharathi museum was home to a Tamil poet and nationalist. Bharathi
(1882-1921) was a political and social activist who found refuge here from
the British in 1908. He freed Tamil poetry from forms that, while
beautifully rich and terse, had kept it the preserve of the few. An
anthology of his works in French can be read at I' Alliance Francaise and
one can buy it at the Romain Rolland Library because unfortunately for
non-Tamils who wish to know more about the poet modernist, the
inscriptions and material in the museum are exclusively in Tamil.
The Bharathidasan Museum
The Bharathidasan Museum is the former house of a renowned
Pondicherry-born poet (1891-1960) who was a follower of Bharathi (hence
his name). He wrote poetry, plays and film scripts on such issues as
support for Dravidian or south Indian culture and the rights of women, and
in opposition to superstition and casteism. One of his plays "Picirandear"
was translated into French and is occasionally on sale in Pondy.
The Jawahar Toy Museum
The Jawahar Toy Museum has got a big collection of unremarkable dolls.