Tribal museum
 The Museum of Tribal Heritage at Bhopal was
commissioned by the Government of Madhya Pradesh
in 2004 The Museum is designed to create a built fabric
which the tribal communities could identify with!
e"tend! and evolve! to represent themselves and
e"press their own ideas and way of life with ease and
spontaneity #hile the architecture of the Museum is
inspired by tribal rhythms! geometries! materials!
forms! aesthetics and spatial consciousness!
these very $ualities are now acting as points of inspiration for the
display materials being created by tribal artisans! supported by anthropologists! sociologists and social wor%ers

&ocation'
Madhya Pradesh Tribal Museum
(hyamala Hills! Bhopal 4)2002! Madhya Pradesh! *+,*-
Phone' ./ 1 2))/43! 2)))40
mail' contact5mptribalmuseumcom!
mplo%%ala5redi6mailcom

(tructure'
 

Built on a site of seven acres! the galleries are raised above the
ground on columns! forming a continuous! multileveled veranda!
following the contours of the sloping! roc%y terrain  
 The structure is built of steel tubes! castellated girders! and
steel rods fabricated into intricate trusses
(teel seemed to be a natural choice in the land 7 location of 
ancient *ron -ge 7 Bron8e -ge civili8ations! and the
contemporary truc% body building industry 
 The roofs are made of half9round tiles! galvalume sheets and
concrete with a topping of grass and groundcover

i beam

steel
tubes
 

  :irculation'
• -fter entering person has 2
choices whether to go to the
museum display or to the
warehouse
• -fter entering the main
museum circulation path has
been de;ned to ma%e visitors
go to through the same
passage and e"perience the
whole museum
• - separate passage way has
been de;ned for the peoples
with the o<ce related wor%
• (pecial care has been ta%en for
the movement of the
physically challenged visitors
 

• - central area for seating for the fatigue

• :entral area was created around
the small manmade la%e with duc%s Ma%ing the view $uite rela"ing  

=e$uirements of tribal museum'

 Par%ing 2 (ervice entry

> =eception 4 (hop
 -dministration )
?pen air theatre  
1 "hibition area 3 #ashrooms
/ #ater facility 0 ?pen air courtyard

Materials of building'

•  #alls were made up of local stone left e"posed

• ?ther walls were made up of bric% plastered
with crushed stone on the outside and mud plaster on the inside
•  The roofs are made of half9round tiles! galvalume sheets and
concrete with a topping of grass and groundcover
•  The plant material is composed of largely local forest species
•  The landscape is designed to collect and store rain water!
to be used for both cooling and irrigating the green roof! and gardens

,isplay'
 

Best thing about the tribal museum! Bhopal was

its way of displaying tribes and di6erent cultures
People can actually touch the sculptures They can
feel the material -ll the sculptures and other
show casing things were created by the tribal
people themselves using the basic and old
techni$ues
-s there were no rare things in displays! so there
was no re$uirement of the conservation lab
*nstead of conservation lab there was a warehouse
made for the restoration of the displays and the
sculptures &arge and bigger halls provide the
(u<cient space to display big things and yet ma%ing the
:irculation easy
 The gallery has been divided into 4 parts'
Gallery '9 The gallery showcases cultural diversity
of the state The gallery has been arranged so that
all9encompassing culture of Madhya Pradesh
emerges before visitors automatically - huge tree
is shown in the midst of map of Madhya Pradesh
Below the map! geographical presence of all ma@or
tribal clans of Madhya Pradesh has been displayed
through signi;cant symbols

Gallery 2'9 Tribal lifestyle has been displayed in this

gallery Here a huge food grain container has been re9constructed *nformation about diverse aspects of tribal
life has been given through ultramodern methods :hanges witnessed in tribal dwellings during last  to 1
decades have also been displayed
 

Gallery >'9 This is aesthetics gallery where tribal cosmetics have

been displayed apart from phases of tribal life! rituals! festive songs
pertaining to festivals and auspicious occasions etc There is a
marriage canopy in the midst of the gallery 6ort has been made to
personify events pertaining to seasons and agriculture! ballets!
attires and elegance

Gallery 4'9 This gallery has been presented li%e a ,ev &o% *t has
been decorated with twin%ling stars and constellations -part from
deities of stateAs Gods and Goddesses! &ingo ,ev %i Gudi and
Madiya ham etc of Bastar have also been displayed in it ?ther
e"hibits include Malwi Mata %i Gudi! (heetla Mata %a (than! Ghotul!
armaseni tree and a street in which potter! waterman! blac%smith!
gold smithAs houses and tools have been displayed