It’s the weekend, you’re tired of the same old routine, and want to try out something different. Take a day-trip to Dakshina Chitra, a heritage centre situated on the picturesque East Coast Road.

Managed by the Madras Craft Foundation (MCF), Dakshina Chitra is home to a wealth of information on art, architecture, lifestyles, crafts and performing arts of South India. Learn about the Cherial folk-art from Andhra Pradesh, or be privy to a traditional Tamil Nadu folk dance performance known as Devarattam, or try your hand at pottery.

You can literally walk through time for this centre has taken on the responsibility of re-creating a glorious cultural past. For instance, seventeen heritage houses have been constructed along carefully-structured streetscapes in natural surroundings. As you walk through these houses you come across several artisans going about their day-to-day routine, be it applying mehendi on someone’s hand, creating a wonderful item from scratch, or foretelling your future from a fistful of shells.

Next, time-travel to the South India of the eighteenth century, and visit typically-constructed houses of the four southern states. Regional textiles, arts and crafts, furnishings and the like dot the walls of these houses. You can even pick up traditional souvenirs from their craft shops that house just about everything from ethnic jewellery to garments and artefacts. Besides these, an art gallery with a photo exhibition dedicated to the spirit of Indian women is displayed here.

Dakshina Chitra is a cultural hub. Dance and music concerts, seminars, workshops, and an arts management diploma course are part of the year-round activity calendar.

Dakshina Chitra, for a true taste of the life and culture of South India.