Kasthuri Sreenivasan Art Gallery & Textile Museum (Culture Centre)
The Kasthuri Sreenivasan Culture Centre (established by the Kasthuri Sreenivasan Trust) was conceptualised and built by Mr. Kasthuri Sreenivasan, one of India’s renowned textile technologists and among the few well-established bilingual writers of his time. The centre is home to an aesthetically designed art gallery that showcases work by both established and upcoming artists and a textile museum that elucidates the evolution of the textile industry in India. An amphitheatre for recitals and performances lends the centre a unique space in Coimbatore’s cultural landscape.
Government Museum
The Government Museum, Coimbatore, is one of the city’s most prominent cultural and historical attractions, located on Trichy Road near VOC Park. Established in 1989, the museum showcases the rich heritage, art, and history of Tamil Nadu and the Kongu region. It houses a vast collection of artifacts, including ancient coins, sculptures, tribal relics, archaeological findings, and rare fossils. The museum also features exhibits on zoology, botany, geology, and textiles, reflecting Coimbatore’s industrial and cultural evolution. Surrounded by lush greenery, the museum provides a peaceful learning environment for students, researchers, and tourists. Its art gallery displays traditional paintings and handicrafts, while the heritage section offers a glimpse into South India’s vibrant past. The museum’s convenient location near VOC Park makes it a popular spot for both educational visits and family outings.
Gass Forest Museum
Toward the end of the 19th century, an aborted attempt was made by J. A. Gamble, the conservator of forests for Madras Presidency, to establish a forest museum in the province. A few years later in 1902, Gamble’s successor as Conservator of Forests Horace Arichibald Gass succeeded in establishing a museum for forestry. It was opened to the public 15 April 1902 by Baron Ampthill, the then Governor of Madras, at that point simply referred to as the Forest Museum at Coimbatore. When Gass, the first curator, retired in 1905, his successor F. A. Lodge renamed the museum in his honor. It was expanded in 1905 and 1915. In 1912, the Madras Forestry College (currently the Tamil Nadu Forest Academy) was established in the museum grounds to train foresters.