Museum and Art Gallery Complex

Museum and Art Gallery Complex Review

In an 80-acre park at the north end of M. G. Road are the many attractions of the Museum and Art Gallery Complex. Buy your ticket at the Natural History Museum, a musty collection of animal skeletons, dioramas, and stuffed birds, then head straight to the second floor to see an interesting model of a traditional nalakettu home (the traditional home of the Nairs, a warrior clan), complete with costumed figurines and a full explanation. The art museum's collection of local arts and crafts—including bronze and stone sculptures and musical instruments—is as noteworthy as the building itself, with its Cubist pattern of gables and its decorative interior. Memorabilia donated by the royal family, including a golden chariot used by the Maharaja of Travancore, is displayed in the tiny Sree Chitra Enclave. On the opposite side of the park, the Sree Chitra Art Gallery has an eclectic collection of paintings, including works of the Rajput, Mogul, and Tanjore schools; copies of the Ajanta and Sigirya frescoes; and works from China, Japan, Tibet, and Bali, along with canvases by modern Indian painters.