Pudukkottai Museum was established in 1910. It has been second largest museum in Tamilnadu, after Chennai museum and largest among the district museums. It has rich collections in sections like Archaeology, Anthropology, Numismatics, Art, Zoology, Botany, Geology and Pudukkottai. With regard to Archaeology, there is separate galleries for stone sculptures, bronzes of saivaites, vaishnavaites and Buddha and metal wares. Stone sculptures, and bronzes collected from Pudukkottai district are displayed in their respective galleries. Apart from these, stone sculptures of jains, Buddha and amaravathy are displayed. Pooja articles, copper plates are displayed in metal ware galleries. In the garden, some stone sculptures collected from Pudukkottai district are displayed by installing cement pedestals fascinating the public and palm leaves are also displayed. Wood carving from kudumiyan malai from Pudukkottai district are under separate gallery. Regarding Anthropology section, there is a gallery for Pre --- History, arms, musical instruments and tribes. In Pre --- History, stone tools from Palaeo ---- Lithic ( hand axes, cleavers, scrapers, etc., ) , Meso --- Lithic and Neo --- Lithic periods are displayed in a show case and burial urns, potteries, pot sherds and iron implements from Pudukkottai are also displayed. Among arms swords, spears, knives, helmets, canons, canon balls, boomerangs, shells are displayed. Percussion, wind, stringed musical instruments and leather puppets are displayed. In relation to Numismatics section, model coins, postal stamps are displayed. In Art section, modern paintings and portraits of royals of Pudukkottai Thondaiman kings are under display. As far as Pudukkottai Museum is concerned, there is very big galleries for Zoology section. Separate galleries for Invertebrates, Fishes, Reptiles, Birds, Mammals and animal skeletons and specimens are under wet and dry preservations. There is a whale skeleton about 70 ft. length and it is a unique for this museum. 2 pairs of whale jaws about 17 ft. and 7 ft. heights. Botany section is divided in 2 sections, viz., Economic Botany and Systematic Botany. Under Economic Botany varieties of timbers and woods have been displayed and In Systematic Botany, medicinal plants which have medicinal properties are also under displayed. With reference to geology sections various rocks, fossils of animals and plants and minerals are displayed. One amazing exhibit is a plant fossil dating about 20 millions years ago, which was found at Narimedu at Pudukkottai town is also displayed. In the gallery Pudukkottai, photographs and paintings of Pudukkottai Thondaiman kings, ivory works, dolls of Vishnu avatars, piths with artistic values under industrial arts, are also displayed. Working model of Tryannosaurus, an extinct reptile ruled 65 millions ago , has been installed, attracting more visitors everyday.