Girijan Museum Opened At Medaram

Built at a cost of Rs 3 crores within just 22 days, the Girijan (tribal) museum, a three-storeyed circular building recently constructed by the Telangana government to reflect the glory of the Koya tribals and the legend of folk heroines Sammakka and Saralamma, in whose honour a four-day festival will be held from January 31, was inaugurated today by four ministers of the Telangana government - Kadiam Srihari, A Chandulal, A Indrakaran Reddy and P Mahender Reddy.

The Girijan museum is representative of the legend of Sammakka and Saralamma, tribal women of the area who heroically fought against the invading Kakatiya armies centuries ago.

With bison horns placed at the top, the museum also signifies the power of the tribal soldiers and their prowess in fighting the enemy.

The design of the museum is seen to comprise of six conceptual displays. The first is a display of tribal artifacts of the 12th century including bows and arrows and swords. The second and third displays have sculpture and paintings respectively, while the fourth and fifth have photographs and videos alongside replicas of the Sammakka Gadde and Jampanna Vagu temples.

Amongst the highlights of the displays are a circular wheel showcasing the forest heroine Sammakka's birth to divinity and another of her as a benefactor of tribals with her skills in tribal medicine using which she cured sick people.

There is also an L-shaped corridor displaying the tribal lifestyle, and their customs and traditions. "The walk introduces visitors to tribal lore, housing patterns, tribal customs etc using visual media," said Dr D Satyanarayana, Deputy Director of the tribal welfare department.

To showcase the tribal lifestyle, model bamboo machans, too, have been laid out on the museum grounds. Some of the photos displayed show the pre-historic dolmens and menhirs culture among the Koya tribals.

Displays of colourfully dressed men and women of the Koya tribe, too, promise a feast to the eyes of the modern tourist.