The Government Museum in Chennai has many unknown and even unseen treasures. Several oil paintings by Raja Ravi Varma, including Yashodha and Krishna, Shakuntala, and a lady with a mirror and a comb are prized possessions of the Egmore museum and it’s no surprise that they are showcased in a book on the treasures of Tamil Nadu brought out by the Departments of Tourism, Museums, Archaeology, Art and Culture, and Religious Endowments.
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The book, which contains colourful photographs from each of these departments, was presented to MLAs at the State Assembly on Wednesday, the day of the demands for the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department. Each section containing 24 pages, starts with pictures of important events of the last one year and the major decisions taken by the government in that department. The tourism section has a combination of popular and less known destinations with the well-known ones presented from a unique perspective. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway, waters of the Chittar river, the tall coconut palms of Pollachi and the majestic Rock Fort of Tiruchi are some destinations that have been featured in the book.
“For the HR&CE Department, we focused on temples that were a mix of iconic and well known temples and lesser-known ones. We also focused on some majestic and grand festivals associated with these temples,” said B. Chandra Mohan, Secretary, Tourism, Culture and Religious Endowments, who curated and conceptualised the book including content.
The Art and Culture section has photographs that are a mix of folk dances, bharathanatyam, handicrafts, handlooms and a few unique musical instruments. For Archaeology, the focus was on all the important archaeological sites like Keezhadi and Adichanallur where excavations have revealed significant findings that have reinterpreted the history of the State.
The book, which was designed in a very short time, is meant to be a collector‘s item and copies would be made available with the Department of Tourism. An online version of this will be uploaded on the website and is also being converted into a video, Mr. Chandra Mohan said.