Visitors to the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) will soon be able to study the ethnobotanical heritage of tribal people and their lifestyle, besides tasting tribal cuisine, as work is on to establish a “Tribal Eco Cultural Village – A living museum”, at Karachikorai village, near Bhavani Sagar, at a cost of ₹ 7 crore.
The Ministry of Environment and Forests, National Tiger Conservation Authority, had in 2013 declared 1.40 lakh hectare of reserved forest land in Sathyamangalam Forest Division as tiger reserve and for various eco-tourism projects, including forest safari, establishment of Bannari Tiger Awareness Centre. Since tourists were keen on learning the lifestyle of ethnic tribes and their wildlife compatible livelihood, it was proposed to develop a model tribal eco cultural village.
As part of Tamil Nadu Innovation Initiatives, the State government sanctioned ₹ 7 crore for establishing the museum under the State Innovation Fund for 2018-19. Work is under way on a 20-hectare land, 13 km from Bannari, on the road to Thengumarahada. The museum is expected to portray the cultural and natural heritage of tribal people.
The museum will feature model houses of different tribes, ponds, tribal musical instruments, dresses, antiques , stone and wooden products, a Sanga Ilakkiya studio, outdoor interpretation centre, indoor auditorium, open atrium, tribal shandy, tribal food court, medicinal plants garden in front of each tribal model houses. Work is expected to be completed by the end of December.
