The Pondicherry Museum, locally referred to as the Pondy Museum, is located in the Bharathi Park of Pondicherry. It exhibits a wide range of artifacts and narrates the story of the city’s rich cultural heritage. The museum is well known among history buffs and travelers looking to explore Pondicherry.Artifacts like stones, jewelry, coins, and statues excavated from the Arikamedu heritage site are displayed at the museum. These depict Pondicherry’s importance as a trade port from 1st Century BC to 2nd Century AD. It was a famous maritime center during that period, serving the traders from Rome, the Cholas, and the French. The relics from those times have been excavated by the Archaeological Survey of India at Arikamedu.

The museum also displays bronze statues and stone sculptures depicting the vibrant life of the Pallava and Chola dynasties. You can also witness remnants of the French colonial rule in the city. It is known for the relics in the form of furniture and other items of the Church. Pondicherry Museum gives you a chance to marvel at the diversity of the history of Pondicherry and understand its influence on the city’s culture.The Pondicherry Museum has magnificent architecture. Located in the White Town Area at St. Louis Street, it has been established in a former Law Building. The building was constructed in 1788 and was later converted into what we see as the Pondicherry Museum today. It has a colonial architecture with an attractive facade and inscriptions in French. The two-storeyed building is painted in yellow and peach. It has large stone statues and fossilized tree trunks displayed in the foyer and courtyard.