[torryquine]

Lets have your personal recommendations for this...

My own would be for this place http://www.dakshinac...a.net/index.htm

Dakshina Chitra is just south of Chennai and focusses on the architechture, folklore and customs of South India (IWTGB you would love it).  It is a "living" museum with live dance and music displays, and craft demonstrations set among life-size reconstructions of traditional buildings.

If you are flying into Chennai and then taking a tour of the south, I highly recommend a visit here in the first few days when you are recovering from jet-lag.  We found that we were able to identify and appreciate regional styles of architecture after our visit, which enriched our experience of travelling in South India.  

NB.  It's only about half an hour up the road from Mahaballipuram, so if you're going there, it's worth a detour to this place.

[H.Nick]

Interesting!

I've been meaning to go there since just about for ever!

[jyotirmoy]

From exhibits point of view my favourites are the National Museum in Kolkata & the Salerjung museum in Hyderabad.

[iwanttogoback]

cheating just a little here as i missed the visit due to illness, but the feedback i got was that the calico museum in ahmedabad was pretty special:

http://www.hinduonne...06/99060420.htm


 aitt_Ahmedabad_Calico_Museum.jpg   17.16K   9 downloads

[torryquine]

I can add my recommendation for the Calico Museum.  What a great place to spend a morning or afternoon in Ahmedabad.
The museum opens under very strict conditions (due to the fragile nature of it's exhibits).  There are two tours per day and these are strictly limited to 15 persons only.  However, entry is free, this being a charitable foundation maintained by the Sarabai family.

The tours follow two different programmes and cover entirely different parts of the museums' collections.  The morning tour starts at 10.30 but be at the gates at 9.30 if you want to be sure of being in the first 15.  This tour is often heavily over-subscribed.  It looks at the secular textiles of the collection.  The afternoon tour looks at the religious artefacts, including a fine collection of Chola bronzes and some gorgeous architectural details.  This starts at 2.45 and is generally undersubscribed, so no need to camp out at the gate.

Both tours are lead under the rather authoritarian and feisty presence of a little lady called Kamalini, who will order you all into position as she explains the origins of the paisley pattern or shows you some exquisite examples of every type of indiginous textile - with particular emphasis on Gujarat of course.  She's really quite terrifing and has trained a few fearsome assistants who follow you about and poke you if you so much as point too closely at the precious objects on display. All the same, she knows her stuff and we rather liked her ecentricity - we went back for second dose of it after all.

It's housed in beautiful buildings surrounded by a lovely garden.  It really is quite unique, I've never been to a museum run like this, I'm glad we went back for the afternoon tour.  If you're going to Ahmedabad it's a must-see whether textiles are your thing or not.

The website is here..  http://www.calicomuseum.com/

[iwanttogoback]

i missed that, i was quite ill that day.

what i REALLY want to see in ahmedabad is the sarabai house, a beautiful brick and concrete villa by le corbusier, but not the usual modernist box. i'll find a photo later.

[cyberhippie]

I've heard good reports from this place as well Chandor Library House