Bharathiyar Memorial Museum cum Research Centre, Puducherry

Bharathiyar Memorial Museum cum Research Centre, Puducherry

Bharathiyar Memorial Museum cum Research Centre located at Puducherry was established commemorating the renowned Tamil poet and freedom fighter Subramanya Bharathiyar, popularly entitled the sobriquet "Mahakavi", literally the supreme poet. The museum was established in the very abode of Bharathiyar, where the poet took refuge from the ruling British Raj, from 1908 to 1918, when Puducherry (erstwhile Pondicherry) was governed by the French regime. During this period of his political asylum in the town, Bharathiyar penned some of his compositions such as ‘Kuyil Pattu’, ‘Kannan Pattu’ and ‘Panchali Sabatham’.

The quaint French colony of Pondicherry had become the source of the poet’s inspiration and he wrote some of his most outstanding literary works, encompassing patriotic as well as romantic compositions, from this very place that presently houses his memorial museum. The Government acquired the house in 1973 and converted it into a memorial and research centre. This house was under closure for nearly 5 years, it was restored and renovated by the Government of Puducherry, as a Grade I heritage structure.

The restoration work was done at a cost of Rs. 1 Crore, undertaken by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) in 2014. The museum’s architecture is a blend of French and traditional Tamil architectures. It was closed to tourists in November 2009, and the museum’s collection and assets of Subramanya Bharathiyar were shifted to the Subbiah memorial house and library on Vellala Street. The renovation work was delayed due to procedural wrangles. This closure was a considerable loss for researchers and scholars, who wanted to get a deep insight into the literary works of the great poet, let alone admirers and tourists.

Scholars and writers believe that the manuscripts housed in this museum show word substitutions made by Bharathiyar, thus allowing an invaluable in-depth insight into the thought process of one of the greatest Tamil poets and to understand why he preferred a certain word over another. It has been renovated using traditional materials like Madras Terrace roofing, has a seminar hall with audio-visual and Wi-Fi facilities for research scholars. Thus, the restored Bharathiyar Memorial Museum cum Research Centre is the abode for those seeking the fount of the poet Bharathiyar’s inspiration of his works during the freedom struggle, which is judged as his most creative period in addition to being a prosperous era of Tamil Literature. 

The Bharathiyar Memorial Museum cum Research Centre, today, houses over 17,000 manuscripts, handwritten books and journals, of which nearly 3,000 contain everything written by and related to Bharathiyar, along with rarest of rare photographs related to the poet. The Bharathiyar Memorial Museum cum Research Centre is located on No. 20, Eswaran Dharmaraja Koil Street in Puducherry.

The Museum is situated in the heart of Puducherry Town. The Museum is located at about 300 meters from Aurobindo Ashram Paper Mill Bus Stop, 400 meters from Aurobindo Ashram Bus Stop, 3 Kms from Puducherry Main Bus Stand, 2 Kms from Puducherry Railway Station, 5 Kms from Puducherry Airport and 150 Kms from Chennai Airport. The Museum is situated on Pondicherry Bus Stand to JIPMER (Gorimedu) Bus Route. Tourists can get down at Aurobindo Ashram Paper Mill Bus Stop / Aurobindo Ashram Bus Stop. The Museum is located at a walkable distance from these Bus Stops. Taxis and Autos are also available to reach this Museum from any part of Puducherry. Nearest Railway Station is located at Puducherry. Nearest Airport is located at Puducherry and Chennai.

Location