Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Madras - Chennai: Dakshinachitra - Whole South India At One Place

Recently, I had been to Chennai one of the most beautiful cities of India on a project and had stayed there for a month or so. During the weekends, I wanted go out and visit places of interest and see how this city was known to be the center of culture and tradition. I was aware of temples and all the other usual places that one would visit, but that was not just what I had been looking for. 


I wanted to see something really exquisite that would highlight the real Chennai and the real love for Chennai. Many of my friends’ always had a special place in their heart for Chennai. So I went along the ECR, a wonderful road and just after the Toll Gate I saw a place called Dakshinachitra. The name itself had something very special. And felt may be this place reflects the entire South of India and its culture. 


Yeh baat hui na. I asked my driver to stop by and we went in. Took the tickets and was really enamored by the simplicity but extremely exquisite display of Structural Engineering of south Indian homes. It seems this place had taken a long time to open and had put in several efforts to literally transport old houses from the various areas of Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Andhra and Kerala. 


I was amazed that the houses not only had beautiful old structures and pieces of excellent carvings and art, they also had the old vessels, their furniture displayed. The entire house really looked as if some people really lived there. It also showed through paintings how the people of these places would dress. It was so live and amazing. Added to this, Dakshinachitra also exhibited various art forms in its theater and just near the theater, a place under the shade of a tree had small artisans making exquisite things that were really good and in fact I bought some to take back to Delhi.

Basically, belonging to Delhi, I had the opportunity to see the Structural Architecture of the entire South India (Just as the Name of the place tells us) along the east coastal regions of Tamilnadu. You must see – the whole place has an ambience of art and culture and one will be sure to be drowned in it for the next couple of hours.

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