Fort Museum - tourmet

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Fort St George, Chennai, Rajaji Salai, Tamil Nadu 600009. Edit

Detail InformationEdit

The Fort Museum began with a small collection of objects of the British Raj donated by the then Madras Presidency Government, the St. Mary’s Church authorities, the disbanded army units and others. Over the years many objects were acquired by various means and there are now 3661 registered antiquities in the collection. Best among them (602) are on display in ten galleries.

Fort Museum

HistoryEdit

The Fort Museum (Fort St. George Museum) was organised and opened to the public from 31st January 1948. A testament to the earliest English rule in the country, this was the first fortress in India built in 1644. The fort houses St. Mary’s Church, the oldest Anglican chur ch in the country, a museum and Wellesley House, named after Richard Wellesley, governor general of India. Until recently the fort complex served as housing for the government; now certain areas are open to public. The building housing the museum is one of the oldest surviving buildings built within the fort. The building was completed in 1795 and served as the location for Madras Bank. The museum building has a history of its own. The antiquities are displayed in ten galleries spread over three floors. An imposing marble statue of Lord Cornwallis (1738-1805) greets the visitors. The statue, carved by Thomas Banks, was financed by funds raised from the public, depicts the scene of surrender of two sons of Tippu as hostages The lobby contains drawings showing the stages of constructions and renovations from 1640 onwards.

Must SeeEdit

Attraction

Visiting TimeEdit

Saturday to Thursday from 10.00 to 05.00.

Closed OnEdit

Friday

Best Season to VisitEdit

November to February.

Best Time To VisitEdit

Morning, Afternoon, Evening.

Time Required for SightseeingEdit

1 to 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

Cosmo Cafeteria ; Shop No. 229, N S C Bose Road, Opposite Sangeetha Mobile Store, Parrys. ; Ph/M – 91-44-25342687 ; Food Serve – Dessert, Local food

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.