(Map credit: http://www.indiatourinfo.com/south-india.htm)
The museum is made up of several structures that are either heritage buildings moved to the site, or new construction that reflects architectural styles and techniques from the different South Indian states.
A doll house displays items one might find inside a traditional South Indian home, including baskets, pottery and metal items for cooking.
Dakshina Chitra promotes traditional craft industries in the region by inviting practitioners to the museum to create, demonstrate, teach and sell their work. A number of craftspeople invite visitors to try making something themselves. Melvene tried her hand at basket weaving.
I tried pottery, with a little professional help.
We also visited a silk weaver.
A maker of glass ornaments created an elephant for Melvene.
The museum houses numerous works of art from the region, both old and new. This detail of the goddess Lakshmi is part of a larger mural depicting facets of Hindu mythology. Marine images are central to the work and reflect the importance of the sea to the largely coastal state of Kerala.
This antique wooden temple chariot would have been been brought out for parades during special festivals. A sculpture of a deity would be placed under the dome, and the chariot would be decorated. This tradition continues in India and elsewhere, including Toronto.
The terra cotta figures below date from 1992, and were created for the Ayyanar Shrine at Dakshina Chitra. The museum's website explains: "Ayyanar is a popular village guardian deity who lives on the outskirts of the village in a thickly wooded sacred grove. His role is to protect the village from evil with the help of his associate Karuppusamy, who rides a tiger and is also worshipped."
The museum pays special attention to children, providing areas and activities specifically for them. The sign in the playground below states "The place is for kids alone." Of course, I couldn't resist a photo.
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