Hi, Recently we happened to visit Dakshin Chithra near Chennai (towards Mahabalipuram, near MGM , etc). We were very impressed by the whole concept and the way the place is run. Basically it showcases the culture of the 4 south Indian states of Tamilnadu, Kerala, Karnataka and AP. They have representative houses and occupation. Some of the demos are puppet show, glass blowing (awesome), weaving, embroidery, pottery, palm reading/parrot reading, etc. There is also an activity centre for children and a boutique for shopping and a canteen. This place is a good eyepiece for south Indian culture, especially for kids and people from other parts of India and world. Apparently, there are also some shows held but we could not see them. Do visit them if you are in the vicinity of chennai - Keep atleast 3 hours to do justice to the place. They close at 6 pm. Cheers, Sumathy
When we were in Chennai in 2002, we visited Dakshin Chitra - it was amazing. We got the chance to see glass blowing - I bought a small Vinayakar that was made right in front of me! We also saw shadow puppets perform - the houses depicting different styles was so neat. The weird thing was - there were quite a few foreigners visiting but hardly any Indians! Do we take for granted what we have?
Thanks Sumathy for this information. My children and ourselves love to see those things. This place is on our list when we visit Chennai next time. sriniketan
dear sumathy, Thankyou so much for giving such a nice and good information reg this place. There r so many beautiful places all over India which r lovely to see. I have a doubt that from Chennai how much time does it takes to reach this place coz i can refer to someone who r interested to visit such beautiful places. Really these kinds of places must be shown to the children as they r forgetting Indian culture. bye
Dear Sudha, To reach Dakshin Chitra, you will have to take ECR (east coast road) going towards Mahabalipuram. From 'Thiruvanmiyur' in chennai, it should not take more than 45 minutes, I guess! A few more info on the place: Closed on tuesdays; open from 10 am to 6 pm. Many demos happen only on weekends. May be a good idea to plan the trip on saturday or sunday. You can combine this trip with a trip to places like Crocodile park, Mahabalipuram, some boating places like Muttukadu or Mudaliyar kuppam and even Pondicherry, which are all on the same road. Ideal itinerary would be to finish Dakshin Chitra in the morning, have lunch and then push off to some other place. You can go and return to chennai from all of the above mentioned places except Pondicherry. You may need to do a overnight halt if you want to go to pondicherry. Cheers, Sumathy
dear sumathy, Thank u so much for the detailed information u gave reg the place with guidelines and I follow it accordingly. I try to come to chennai in summer then I don't miss this place.Thanks for ur reply. regards
