Gandhi Memorial Museum
Gandhi Museum, the living memorial of Mahatma Gandhi, is one of the distinct places to be visited, located 5 km east of Meenakshi temple across the bridge over river Vaigai. The museum is housed in the Tamukkan Bungalow (Summer palace) of Rani Mangammal of Nayak dynasty, which is believed to be constructed in 1670 AD. In 1955, the palace with its 13 acres of land was gifted by the Tamilnadu State Government, to the Gandhi Smarak Nidhi for the purpose of housing Gandhi Memorial Museum. Inaugurated in 1959 by Jawaharlal Nehru, it has a remarkable collection of Gandhiji's paintings, sculptures, Gandhian quotations, articles of village industries and khadi crafts. 

The museum which presents a visual biography of the Father of the Nation, depicts the highlights of the freedom struggle and is mainly divided into three sections like India Fights for Freedom, Visual Biography of Mahatma Gandhi and Relics and Replicas. The first section located at the entrance of the museum, exhibits 265 illustrations depicting the history of the Freedom Movement. The second section contains photos, paintings, sculptures, manuscripts, quotations and some of the selected Photostat copies of many of Gandhiji’s letters and renderings. There are also rare photographs showing various phases of Mahatma Gandhi right from his childhood days to being taken to the crematorium. Relics and Replicas is the main section which contains several original artifacts used by Gandhiji. An important relic among them is the blood - stained dhoti worn by Mahatma Gandhi, at the time of his assassination. It is preserved in a vacuum glass box. A portion of Mahatma Gandhiji’s sacred ash and his personal belongings are also preserved in this gallery.

Apart from these, the museum has a library, a Khadi and Village Industries section and a South Indian handicrafts section. The library located on the northern side of the museum has a huge collection of Gandhi's books and letters, books on the cultural background of India and allied literature. In the museum premise, there is an open air theatre which can accommodate about 8000 people and a 'Gandhi Kudir' - a replica of Gandhiji's hut in Sevagram. Cultural programmes, weekly film shows, exhibitions, seminars, summer camps for students, fine arts training courses and classes on yogasana and Naturopathy are organised here periodically.

The museum opens from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5.30 p.m on all days.
Contact Address : 
Gandhi Memorial Museum 
Tamukkam, Madurai-625 020, Tamilnadu. India.
Phone : 91-452- 5544930, 2531060
Mobile : 0091-9443037339
E-mail : Contact Now

Government Museum
The Government Museum is located in the compound of Gandhi Museum. This museum was established during the 5th World Tamil Conference held in 1981. The various sections in the museum deal with archaeology, anthropology, zoology, numismatics, botany and geology. It also has a fine collection of bronzes, sculptures, musical instruments and paintings. Training sessions and summer training camps on arts, music and crafts are held here.

The museum is open on all days from 9.30 am to 5 pm except Fridays, second Saturdays and public holidays. Photography is prohibited inside the museum.
Contact Address : 
Government Museum
Gandhi Memorial Museum Campus, Tamukkam, Madurai 625 020
Phone : 0452-2650298

Temple Art Museum
Temple Art Museum is housed in the hall of a thousand pillars (Ayiramkal Mandapam) in the Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple, located in the heart of the city. The museum exhibits a good collection of icons, drawings and photographs of the art and architecture of the temple. It also has a collection of bronzes, paintings, jewelry, musical instruments, lamps and wood carvings. It is open on all days from 6.00 am to 8.00 pm.