The newly constructed Government Museum that was inaugurated by Chief Minister M. K. Stalin in Virudhunagar on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Chief Minister M. K. Stalin, through video conference facility, inaugurated the new building for the Government Museum at Virudhunagar on Thursday.The building has been constructed at a cost of ₹12.43 crore jointly by the Department of Tourism, Culture and Religious Endowments and Department of Museums.Revenue Minister K. K. S. S. R. Ramachandran and Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu lit the traditional lamp at the new building and threw it open for public use.The Ministers, along with MLAs, A. R. R. Srinivasan and G. Ashokan, and District Revenue Officer R. Ananthi, inspected the building and the artefacts displayed there.Established in 2001, Virudhunagar Museum had been functioning in a rented building in the town and now it has moved to the new premises spread over 2 acres. The plinth area of the new building is 13,159.30 square feet .The two-storey building has some 400 artefacts classified into natural history, archaeology and socio-cultural heritage.The ground floor has an introductory gallery and details of important leaders of Virudhunagar district also.The curator’s room, a special exhibition hall, and a modern audio-visual conference hall are located in the first floor.The second floor has a strong room for rare artefacts.The Museum Curator, G. Paul Durai, said that rare collections, including treasure trove that were accidentally unearthed across the district have been displayed.Archaeological exhibits in the museum includes microlithic tools found in Poornachandrapuram and Alamarathupatti, complete megalithic burial urns discovered in Mutharpatti and Elayirampannai, and pots sherds with inscriptions.An ancient inscription dating back to 9th century from the reign of the early Pandya King Srimaran Srivallaban, discovered in Nenmeni near Sattur, that highlights the importance of ancient irrigation systems, has been displayed here.Similarly, the stone-sculpture park has 10th-century Jain Tirthankara sculptures and hero stones.The natural history section includes different types of rocks, fossils, specimen of birds, palm-leaf manuscripts and coins.Artefacts used by the Paliyar tribal community are also exhibited.The museum would remain open between 10.30 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. every day except on Fridays and second Saturdays. The entry fee for children is ₹5 and for adults ₹10.It is free for students of schools and colleges on educational tour. Published - February 26, 2026 06:27 pm IST
