All that you need to know about India’s first ever Tribal Museum

Madhya Pradesh, known as the city of lakes, is also known for having a number of museums. One of the state museums that is hogging the limelight these days is the Tribal Museum. The MP Government recently decided to observe International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples on August 9 as Tribal Day. The primary purpose of celebrating this day is to showcase the culture of indigenous people of the state.
As per the last news reports, India’s first live Tribal Museum has registered a marked increase in tourist footfall this year. And if data is to be analysed, the footfall of domestic and international tourists has considerably increased since it has been inaugurated on a year-on-year basis.

The tribal museum was inaugurated in 2013 by the then President of India Pranab Mukherjee. Referring to this, the curator of the museum said that the museum’s liveliness was one of the major reasons for attracting visitors.
Things that you should know about India’s first live Tribal Museum

• The sprawling campus has been divided into six colourful galleries showcasing the diversity of seven tribes of the state.
• This place is an ode to the tribal art and culture of the region. The folklores, lifestyle, rituals and social customs of all seven indigenous tribes of MP―the Gonds, Bhils, Bharias, Sahariya, Korku, Kol, and Baiga are showcased in the museum through a repository of traditional art. In fact, lives of the region’s seven tribes are being celebrated here via their craft.
• As you step in to these galleries, the exhibits are displayed in such a manner that you feel you are entering right into the heart of their homes and lives.
• There is a shop ‘Chinhari’ in the museum that is also generating good response from the visitors. It is basically a retail outlet for handicraft connoisseurs, and exhibits a huge collection of beautiful artefacts of different districts of the states. The range of artefacts starts from INR 25 to INR 2500.
• A library and an amphitheatre along with art gallery are also being built in the museum for artists. This will even help researchers, who are not able to visit the actual place, to assess and observe the lifestyle of those said tribes in the museum.

How to reach MP’s Tribal Museum?
The nearest bus stop is Depot Chouraha near Shastri Nagar. The Tribal Museum is around 800 m from the bus depot.

Address: Madhya Pradesh Tribal Museum Shyamala Hills, Bhopal 462002, Madhya Pradesh
Timings: 12 PM to 8 PM (closed on Mondays and all state holidays)
Fees: INR 10 per person