Bhubaneswar
The tribal and the folk make a perfect coalition at the Purvasha Folk and Tribal Art Museum (PFTAM). Nestled amid the artistic ambience of the Odi Art Centre (OAC), near Asia’s largest brackish-water lake, Chilika, at Barkul in Odisha’s Khurda district, the museum boasts a magical mix of old and new art and artefacts. Alongside folk fabrics, tribal textiles add to the texture and tapestry of its collections.
Spread across 32 galleries, the museum houses more than 2,000 exhibits that not only mirror Odisha’s craft and culture but also represent the cultural traditions of other Indian states and countries.
Some of its exhibits date back centuries. These include a brass puja ghanti (temple bell) weighing more than one quintal. Another remarkable exhibit is a carved wooden door, measuring 6 feet by 3 feet, with Saura motifs engraved on it. More than 200 years old, the door bears testimony to the rich artistic heritage of tribal Odisha. Besides these exhibits, more than 500 artefacts lying in the museum’s storeroom and awaiting display offer further evidence of its cultural wealth.
“The museum, where tribal and folk art and artefacts come together to reflect cultural opulence, is one of its kind in Odisha. I think it is also unique in the whole of India,” Bishweshwar Das, PFTAM secretary and a film producer told The Indian Tribal.
Pattachitra, Palm-Leaf Engravings And Intricate Craftsmanship
The folk painting Pattachitra titled Sankha Navi Khetra (SNK), which depicts the pilgrim city of Puri and its divine triad—Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra—lends credence to Bishweshwar’s contention.
Covering an entire museum wall measuring 11 feet by 15 feet, this striking work is a remake of a much larger original, dating back 150 years, housed in the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, a national museum in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark.
However, the remake is not an exact replica of the original. Certain modifications have been incorporated to showcase and assert the artistic excellence and distinctiveness of Odia artists and artisans, says Prasanna Kumar Dash, founder-director of OAC and PFTAM.
“The original SNK, which depicts Puri as a dharma kshetra within a conch shell, features a group of British seafarers. But our SNK, created in 2017 by noted Bhubaneswar-based Pattachitra artist Tanmaya Mohapatra, replaces the British seafarers with their Indian counterparts,” says Prasanna.
Apart from SNK, the gallery of palm-leaf engravings immediately catches the eye. One of the exhibits features Abhijnanashakuntalam, the classical Sanskrit masterpiece by Mahakavi Kalidasa, inscribed on palm leaves and accompanied by colourful illustrations.
Another remarkable exhibit is a nine-foot-tall idol of Goddess Durga, crafted using hornwork and flanked by idols of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha. The installation is displayed against a glass backdrop.
This intricate piece of craftsmanship was collected from Paralakhemundi, the district headquarters of Gajapati district. Designed by artisans from Paralakhemundi in collaboration with their counterparts from Bengal, the masterpiece was created for a Durga Puja pandal of Hati Bagan Sarbojanin Club in Kolkata more than 20 years ago. Its master artist, Sanjiv Saha, later gifted it to PFTAM.
Tribal Textiles Weave Together Odisha’s Cultural Diversity
Habaspuri textiles, associated with the tribal Kutia Kondh community of Kalahandi, and Kotpad fabrics woven by members of the Mirgan community in Koraput district adorn the museum’s galleries. The embroidered Kapdagandha shawls of the Dongria Kondh community in Rayagada are another striking attraction.
Bomkai weaves from Subarnapur and Berhampur Pata from Ganjam, crafted by non-tribal weavers using their distinctive Bandha/Ikat techniques, are displayed in a separate section. Terracotta and Dokra crafts made by tribal and non-tribal artisans, along with paper-mâché artwork from Puri district, add to the splendour of the museum’s collections.
Another textile marvel on display is Kerang, a fabric handwoven by the Gadaba tribal community in the highlands of Koraput district. Gadaba artisans strip the inner bark of the wild Kerang plant, which is then washed, sun-dried, beaten and twisted into threads. These threads are spun using a spindle and rice husk before being woven on ground looms with bamboo rods, horn separators and porcupine bone. Dyed with vegetable colours, Kerang fabric is characterised mainly by vertical stripes of red, white and indigo.
The museum also showcases a variety of other crafts, including Dokra, terracotta, appliqué work, Kaincha (golden grass) and sabai grass crafts, stone sculptures and mukha (masks).
Osakothi paintings from Ganjam district, along with figures and figurines associated with Odisha’s shadow puppetry tradition, add further lustre to the museum’s rich collection.
From Bhil And Gond Paintings To International Art
The museum also showcases art and artefacts from other Indian states. These include paintings by the Bhil and Gond tribal communities of Madhya Pradesh, paintings associated with the Santal community in Chhattisgarh, shadow-puppetry artefacts from Andhra Pradesh, Madhubani paintings from Bihar, Sanjhi art from Uttar Pradesh, miniature paintings from Rajasthan, Warli paintings from Maharashtra and Thangka paintings from Himachal Pradesh.
Taken together, the collections make the museum a repository of craft and culture, art and artistry, legacy and literature, customs and traditions.
Its international gallery displays exhibits from several countries, including the traditional gyil, a musical instrument associated with communities in Ghana, as well as Korean, Nepali and Vietnamese paintings and Japanese dolls.
The museum also houses Indian tribal musical instruments such as the Dhuduki, Dhol, Changu, Basi and Tumdak. Traditional instruments including the Kendra, Mardala, Mahuri, Veena, Bajra Veena and Sarod are among its prominent exhibits, according to Dipti Ranjan, the museum’s guide.
A Museum Built Through Cultural Passion And Public Support
PFTAM was developed by the cultural non-profit organisation Society for the Development of Rural Literature, based in Jagatsinghpur district. It was inaugurated by former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik in 2017.
Initially, the museum had 16 galleries spread across two blocks, displaying more than 800 artefacts. In 2024, two additional blocks containing 16 galleries were developed with financial assistance under the corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives of public sector undertakings Life Insurance Corporation of India and Petronet LNG Limited. Each organisation contributed nearly Rs 50 lakh towards setting up the two additional blocks.
“I am grateful to the Union Ministry of Culture, which provided Rs 3 crore under its Museum Grant Scheme to develop the infrastructure for PFTM. I am also obliged to the State Department of Tourism and Culture, which provided about Rs 50 lakh for the collection of artefacts,” says Prasanna, a retired bureaucrat.
He recalls that he and his team travelled extensively to collect artefacts after work on the museum began in 2011.
“For example, we collected the 200-year-old wooden door bearing Saura motifs from Rajasthan. Similarly, we collected the unexploded mortar fired by Pakistan from Bhatinda, in the south-eastern part of Punjab. We display it in our museum after decorating it as a lamp,” Prasanna adds.
From An Idea In Chennai To A Cultural Showcase
The idea of establishing the museum took shape during Prasanna’s official visit to Chennai in 2007–08, when he was joint secretary in the Union Ministry of Finance in New Delhi.
During the visit, he explored Dakshina Chitra, a museum that primarily showcases the traditional architecture of Tamil Nadu. The experience inspired him to establish PFTM as a space that would present a microcosm of Odisha’s and India’s wider artistic, cultural and heritage traditions.
Another source of inspiration was the late German scholar Hermann Kulke. While Prasanna was serving as managing editor and Kulke as editor, they compiled contributions from 30 scholars, 29 of them foreigners, for the two-volume publication Imaging Odisha: The Emergence of Cultural Identity of an Indian State.
Kulke encouraged Prasanna to establish the museum after seeing the artistic and architectural photographs collected for the publication.
“We had collected more than 100 pictures for the two volumes from the British Museum and British Library. Impressed by the beauty of Odisha’s art and architecture captured in the pictures, Kulke encouraged me to set up a museum. Thus, the concept of PFTAM took shape,” says Prasanna.
Expanding The Museum’s Reach And Ambitions
Spread across five acres, OAC embodies the richness of Odisha’s and India’s traditions and culture, complemented by an international flavour. Its museum, occupying nearly one acre, offers a miniature panorama of tribal and folk arts and artefacts, says Bhawani Kumar Swain, a teacher from Bhubaneswar.
Swain, who describes the centre and its museum as a rare combination in India, visited Chilika Lake, OAC and PFTAM with his family last year.
While visitors continue to praise the museum and its collections, Prasanna has ambitious plans to expand and develop it to match the standards of metropolitan museums in the United States.
“We plan to introduce QR (quick-response) codes. We would also invite researchers to explore the history and historical significance of each and every artefact. Sixteen more galleries will be added to expand the museum. We will install a solar power system to keep the museum operational round the clock. Thus, we have a lot to do to upgrade the museum to an international level,” says Prasanna.
