I am an admirer of Indian handicraft. I actually go crazy when I see handcrafted pots, wall hangings, copper plates etc. Luckily, this time during my India trip, I got to visit one such place that impressed me a lot. My in-laws are from Bhopal and during my stay, since we had time so we decided to visit a few close by places. Apart from the popular Lake view drive,  we visited “Janajatiya Sangrahalay Tribal Museum”. Before that, we visited Bharat Bhawan (an autonomous multi-arts complex and museum in Bhopal). Somebody over there suggested us to visit Bhopal Tribal Museum. She sounded pretty positive that we will like it. And yes, she was absolutely right. As I entered the museum, I was over-whelmed with the ambiance. It didn’t take me seconds to decide that I am going to write about it. It was worth a blog. Bhopal Tribal Museum is true celebration of culture, lifestyles, believes, and myths of tribe of Madhya Pradesh..

 

 

I always get excited whenever I visit any such place which is close to Indian culture and showcase the true colors of India. Indian tribal people play a key part in constructing the cultural heritage of India and occupy a major part in the history of India. India is the home to a large number of indigenous people, who are still untouched by the lifestyle of the modern world.

I must say in this museum, the world of indigenous tribes is depicted with much finesse and authentic skill. It is a commendable effort in preserving the cultural heritage. It’s an amalgamation of different culture, heritage, rituals of people such as Gonds, Bharias, Korku, Sahariya, Bhil, Baiga, and Kol. All these tribal people have their own culture, tradition, language, and lifestyle. The campus is divided into 6 galleries depicting Cultural Diversity, Tribal Life, Tribal Art, Tribal Mythology, Tribals of Chattisgarh and Tribal Games. It also has an Art Exhibition Gallery and Open Air Theatre.

Gallery 1 showcases homes of tribes the authenticity, and richness of Adivasi tradition. Houses have been made of mud, dung, hay, dry foliage, bamboo, and other grasses. This shows their dependence on natural resources. The importance of Angan (courtyard), Charpai (cot made with joot), raised entrance of houses (to restrict snakes and other crawlers from entering the house) was beautifully built in these houses.

Gallery 2  shows day to day life of tribals, their houses, how they live in them, what all basic methods and tools they use to preserve food grains, to cook, the material used to build houses and decorative artifacts.

Gallery 3 is about weddings and festivals of this communities. Seeing the ‘vivah mandap’ at the center, you can clearly see its influence on today’s Vivah Mandap design. The only difference is today it is lavishly decorated. But that simple – earthy look was more promising. As I looked at the roof, I saw musical instruments like Dholak and Damru hanging from the revered banyan, and the relevance of other rituals, have been told colorfully.

Gallery 4 is dedicated to mythological beliefs of tribes, every tribe and its sub-tribes have their own mythological belief. They find their own ways of revering sky, land, fire, water, animals, forests or any other forms of dead or alive.

Gallery 5 Coming to the guest state of the museum –Chattisgarh. They kept a huge chariot fully decorated with flowers which were used for Dussera.

Gallery 6 Next stop was Evolution of games section. Games like tug of war, have been showcased here with little sculptures of men, women, and children. Other games like “Chaupat” is portrayed with stones and pebbles.

 

Coming to the most interesting part when you go to such an amazing place. Shopping: There is a Chinhari shop which has a good collection of gift items. We too got few sculptures for our friends here. We couldn’t get a lot because of the weight limits. But next time, I am going to keep a lot of space in my bags for these gifts items.

If you happen to go to Bhopal, you must visit here with your family. Our kids will get to see the heritage of Madhya Pradesh. My kids don’t get to see such places that often but as parent I would like them to know how people used to live happily and were satisfied even with no technology and limited resources.

 

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. We visited this place and I have shared my experience through this post.