ODISHA - UNRAVELING THE BEST KEPT SECRET!
Tribal Museum Koraput
When our family friend suggested a 2-day trip to Odisha, my immediate reaction was why not. For the uninitiated, Odisha is an Indian state situated in the eastern part of our country and is best known for its tribal culture and ancient Hindu temples. Interestingly, their tagline is -India’s best kept secret — which I think is rather strange if you are trying to enthuse avid travelers. Nevertheless, we ventured on our road trip to Odisha, which happens to be the neighboring state of Andhra Pradesh (where I reside). Instead of exploring the crowded tourist places like Bhubaneswar, Puri or Konark, we choose to travel on the road less taken or rather visit the ‘best kept secrets’ of Odisha! We stayed in a modest guest house in Koraput. Koraput is a district headquarters and a picturesque town surrounded by mountains, waterfalls, and temples. This town is roughly 204 kms via NH26 from Visakhapatnam and can be easily accessed by road or rail. The best time to visit is October to March.
I would like my dear readers to know that my travelogue on Lesser-known tourist attractions of Odisha has been divided into four parts. I would love to hear your views about this article and hopefully you read my upcoming articles too!
Our first stop was at a tribal museum in Koraput town itself. Situated right behind the Jagannath temple, this museum was established to preserve and promote the cultural heritage of the local tribes, their art, music, dance, food, and way of life. Brimming with enthusiasm, we reached the museum at 10 a.m. itself. Behind a huge gate at the entrance stood a majestic looking bungalow which housed the tribal museum. Though the place was desolate, we were eager to discover this tribal world. With dry leaves strewn in the compound and no visible signboards, it was left to the visitors’ discretion to take the first step! A lone man was manning the ticket counter which also doubled up as a book store. After buying an entrance ticket for Rs.5, we entered the precincts with much anticipation. Life sized statues of tribal dancers and musicians greeted us at the right side of the building.
A fireplace and an elegant palanquin graced the first room while a collage of photographs of tribal men, women and children adorned the walls.
A collection of stone sculptures, metal images, terracotta, wooden objects, textiles, paintings, documents, kitchen utensils of a bygone era were displayed in adjoining rooms. Most of the photos and artifacts in these rooms were in deplorable condition with huge spider webs hanging from every nook and corner of this edifice. It was evident that the inner rooms of this museum had seen better days but the present condition indicated sheer neglect and apathy of the caretakers.
Though we were mesmerized by the grittiness and adventurous life of tribals (as seen in the photographs), we were saddened that the concerned authorities had failed in their effort to preserve the rare memorabilia and not to mention the overall upkeep of this place.
I am sure that every Indian who takes pride in our rich culture and heritage is bound to be heartbroken seeing the tribal history of bravery and creativity lying in a state of apathy. However, I intend to visit this museum again, probably in a year or two because I am quite positive that it would be transformed for the better! I hope the custodians of this place are reading this piece!
Next article in this series — https://medium.com/@Rohini.S.Murthy/odisha-outings-the-ancient-jaina-temple-at-subei-5b556fcb7a71
