Vivekananda Museum or House (Ice House)

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Vivekananda Museum or House, Kamarajar salai (Marina beach road) Triplicane, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600 005. Edit

Detail InformationEdit

Vivekananda Museum or House (Ice House) is a source of inspiration to thousands of people who visit it every year. The Vivekananda House is also called as Ice House because a Britisher used to have an Ice block storage facility here. But later, it was converted in to a residence where Swami Vivekananda stayed immediately after his visit from the West (en-route to Calcutta) and later on, it was given on a lease to Ramakrishna Missions by the TN Government to hold a permanent exhibition on life and works of Swami Vivekananda as well as to represent the cultural history of India. The life and times of Swami Vivekananda are represented using a lot of nice photos, each with a short description. The photo essay on his life, enables one to quickly grasp the important events of his life. There is a beautiful and extensive painting gallery which speaks about the important epics/ people in all major religions (founded in India). Some of the paintings even talk of the pre-religious days during which vedanta originated. Under every photo, there is a short description of the events, people or concepts etc. There is a meditation hall in the room where Vivekananda stayed back then, and there is also an audio visual presentation on the life of Swami Vivekananda. The whole museum is arranged in to various rooms, each with a particular theme. There is even a room dedicated to the history of the Ice House. Paintings at the Vivekananda House in Chennai.

Vivekananda Museum or House (Ice House)

HistoryEdit

Vivekananda House (known as Vivekanandar Illam in Tamil), an important landmark in Chennai is associated with the Sri Ramakrishna Math since 1897 when Swami Vivekananda stayed here for nine days after his triumphant return from the West. Later, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai was founded and functioned at this place during its ten years from 1897 to 1906. Now, this historic place houses a permanent exhibition on Indian Culture and Swami Vivekananda’s Life. Currently, Vivekananda House is maintained by Sri Ramakrishna Math

Must SeeEdit

Popular

Visiting TimeEdit

10:00 am – 12:00 pm, 3:00–7:00 pm

Closed OnEdit

Wednesday

Best Season to VisitEdit

November to February.

Best Time To VisitEdit

Morning, Evening.

Time Required for SightseeingEdit

1-2 hours

Ticket Required : No Edit

Individual National Adult Rs. : N.A.

Kids Rs. : N.A.

Individual Foreigner Adult Rs. : N.A.

Kids Rs. : N.A.

Still Photo Camera Rs. : N.A.

Video Camera Rs. : N.A.

Guide Required : No Edit

Approximate cost: N.A.

Dress Code (If Any) : No Edit

Dress Require: N.A.

Restaurants NearbyAdd / Edit

How to ReachEdit

Taxi : Taxis (locally called “call-taxis” since they must be pre-arranged) are available by phone. Since there are so many listed in thr phone book already and they are mostly reliable we don’t list any. They can be ordered air-conditioned and have digital fare meters, although time-based hire is also possible with some companies. Most companies charge a minimum fare of Indian rupee 100/-(Non-AC)/150/-(AC), which is for 4km (2.4 mile) and for every subsequent kilometre they charge Indian rupee 12/- or 13/-.

Bus : One of Asia’s largest bus stations is in Chennai, the CMBT. There are seven different state owned corporations which drive buses to and from various destinations within South India. There are hourly buses for places like Tirupati, Pondicherry, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli etc. Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) buses ply throughout the city accessing areas which are not accessed by the suburban trains. These are Government-run and extremely cheap. Chennai has few major termini from where the majority of the buses ply towards the rest of the city. Normally Bus Fare in MTC range from Indian rupee 4 – Indian rupee 50.

Train : Chennai Central (code MAS) and Chennai Egmore (code MS) are the two main long distance train stations. There are daily trains from Chennai to Bengaluru, Mumbai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Cochin, Hyderabad Kolkata and most of the big cities of India. The Egmore station covers most of the places in Tamil Nadu and a few important places outside it. The long trains to Egmore stop at Tambaram and some at Perambur. These two stations serve the suburban areas of Chennai. Prepaid taxis, cabs auto rickshaws are available for hire just outside the station.

Air : The third busiest airport of India is the Chennai International Airport which is located at a distance of 7 km from the main city. Both, international and domestic flights land at different terminals: the international flights arrive at the Anna Terminal whereas the domestic flights at Kamaraj Terminal. These two terminals are located at a distance of only 150 metres from each other. Both the terminals are well connected to the major cities of India and the world, respectively. Within a few rupees you can reach the city, but if you have rather bulky luggage look for other options like the pre-paid taxi booth.

Others : Auto-rickshaw/Tuk-tuk drivers in Chennai do not use meters; some try to overcharge and often drive rashly, but that’s part of the fun of being in Chennai. Share autos have emerged in the recent years as an alternative mode of transport in Chennai. There are four wheelers known as meter taxis, which don’t have a meter and are not taxis. They supplement the existing bus services and sometimes operate on routes based on Must See demand.

Things to CarryEdit

The backpack must contain water bottles and juices. Hats, scarves, sun- screen lotion, umbrellas and sun glasses are a must, when traveling in the city.
Carrying medicines for fever, dysentery and diarrhea is advisable.
Camera and video-cam are the must carry things.

Safety / WarningEdit

Keep your valuables safely tucked against your body and avoid flashing money in public .
Before purchasing any product confirm the price from local people.