With the exclusive tribal museum becoming operational on Tuesday, devotees thronging to the historic Medaram village for the Sammakka–Saralakka jatara can now get an insight into the life and culture of Adivasi and Koya tribes.
The State government spent ₹3 crore to build a three storied building which displays tools used by the Adivasi tribals and artifacts manifesting the life and culture of the Koya tribals.
Earlier, visits to Medaram typically involved camping in the wilderness and paying obeisance to the tribal goddess. Walking through the maze of street vendors was another routine for the devotees and the museum has added another stop now.
The circular museum building, decorated with murals, has been attracting the devotees to get to know the lifestyle and tools outside of tribal cultures. The visitors take an L shaped walk-through corridor displaying tribal lifestyles, customs and traditions.
Many visitors were observed taking ‘selfies’ and photographs inside and outside the museum. Enthusiastic visitors were also vying to take photographs with life-sized sculptures of traditional Koyas.
Speaking to The Hindu , District Collector R.V. Karnan said that the museum has six conceptual displays. The displays include tribal artefacts of 12th century, sculptures and paintings, photos, videos and replicas of Sammakka altar among others. A green coloured wheel depicting Sammakka’s journey from birth to achieving divinity is a prime attraction.
To showcase the tribal lifestyle, model bamboo machans (cots) have been laid out on the museum grounds. Some photos display the pre-historic stone structures such as dolmens and menhirs that are part of Koya tribal culture.
