DakshinaChitra Heritage Museum: An almost perfect first trip

People often think of industrial visits in terms of noisy machines and factory lines. That is not what happened on our first one, we ended up at a spot focused on saving culture instead of making stuff in huge amounts and that place is Dakshina Chitra Heritage Museum.

It sits along the East Coast Road near Chennai. This museum does not keep history locked up in cases. We found out right away that it works as a living museum and you do not only look at the past there, you step straight into it.

Our trip turned into a real journey back in time. We did not stop at staring at photos of ancient homes. We went inside them. In Tamil Nadu style, we explored the wide open yards of Chettinad houses. The wood carvings there were amazing, and so were the walls made with egg plaster. After that, we moved along a trail. Suddenly we were in a Kerala Syrian Christian home. Its dark wood stood out, along with the way it caught breezes from all sides.

Kerala Christian house

All eighteen of the old houses on show came from real places. Workers moved them carefully and rebuilt them right there. That is when the industrial side started making sense to us. It went beyond a simple display of items. The effort involved huge work in protecting and rebuilding culture.

Chettinad houses

The real industry at Dakshina Chitra comes from how culture gets made and kept going. Things do not sit still in this place. Craftspeople work all over the grounds.

In one area, a potter shaped clay with his hands. The wheel spun fast as he turned a plain blob into a nice vase. This showed off skills that families pass down over years.

Over in another building, the sound of a handloom went clack clack in a steady rhythm. The weaver kept sliding the shuttle across. He made detailed designs that no machine could match exactly.

Industrial visits not only includes industry, it also includes saving heritage, skilled work, and holding onto who people are.

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