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1. Museum of Man
Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav
Sangrahalaya, Bhopal
Dr. Virag Sontakke

2. Introduction
• IGRMS is the biggest anthropological Museum in India and
one of the biggest in Asia.
• It spreads over an area of about 200 acres on the Shyamla
Hills in the Bhopal city.
• This museum depicts the story of mankind in time and
space.
• It has open Air Exhibitions and Indoor Exhibitions
• The only place in the world to exhibit tribal habitat on vast
scale, exhibits contemporary tribal cultures and actual size
dwellings of typical tribal villages of Indian states.

3. Beginning
• An idea for setting up a Museum of Man was supported by
several Anthropologists and Social Scientists in the Calcutta
session of the Indian Science Congress.
• 1979, Shifting of the museum From Delhi to Bhopal.
• 1985 The Museum of Man, locally known as the National
Museum of Man, renamed as Rastriya Manav Sangrahalaya.
• 1985 Nomenclature as Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manava
Sangrahalaya (IGRMS) in honour of Prime Minister Smt.
Indira Gandhi.
• IGMRS an autonomous organization of the Ministry of
Culture, Government of India, began functioning since
March, 1977 as a 'Subordinate Office' of the Department of
Culture, at New Delhi.

4. Vision
1. Presentation of an integrated story of bio-cultural evolution
of humankind through outdoor and indoor exhibitions.
2. Highlighting the richness and diversity of cultural patterns
of India and its underlying unity;
3. To act as a centre of research and training in museology
4. Generate a new museum movement in India and
5. To present and preserve variety of cultural life.
6. Promote research & training and inter-organizational
networking for salvage and revitalization of vanishing, but
valuable cultural traditions.

5. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
• To present an integrated story of the Evolution of man and culture with
special reference to India;
• To highlight the richness and diversity of Cultural patterns in India and its
underlying unity;
• To promote national integration;
• To organize indoor and outdoor Exhibitions on :
• Human Evolution and Human Variation;
• Culture and Society in Pre and proto historic times; and
• Patterns of culture;
• To take steps to salvage and preserve the fast vanishing aspect of the Indian
Culture;
• To promote and conduct research in the related subjects and provide funds
and enter into arrangements with other similar institutions for the purpose of
furtherance of the objectives of the Samiti;
• To act as a centre of research and training in museology of the appropriate
kind and generate in the course of time a new museum movement in the
different regions of India to present and preserve variety of cultural life; and
• To undertake all such activities as and when considered necessary for the
achievement of the said objectives.

7. • The IGRMS collects the traditional and contemporary cultural objects of folk
and tribal people of India.
• There is a collection of more than 25,000 ethnographic objects of daily use as
well as the artistic products of folk and tribal people of India and only a few
from some other countries in this museum.
• The objects are collected through field work by the official of this Museum as
also from other institutions and resources through collaborative exercise.
• Name of object. Equivalent in Hindi and English languages, Community,
Locality, Use, Price etc. Each object is given a separate accession number, which
is a permanent number and never transferred to any other object.
• In IGRMS categorized the collection in 17 functional categories of Agriculture,
Animal Husbandry, Art and Craft, Basketry, Fishing, Games & Amusement,
Household, Hunting, Musical, Narcotics, Ornament, Ritual, Spinning &
Weaving, Textile, Travel & Transport, Tools and Weapons.
• After accession and categorization the specimens are photographed and then
sent to the respective room for storage.
• The IGRMS is following the Categorized Storage System.
• The objects of perishable and delicate nature are stored in Compactors and
Cabinets.
• Big objects are usually kept on open pedestals or open racks.
Collections

8. IGRMS permanent exhibitions
a) Open-exhibitions,
b) Indoor galleries (Veethi-Sankul and Bhopal Gallery)
and
c) Periodical/ Temporary exhibitions.
It also has other exhibitions categorized as
1. Online exhibitions,
2. Travelling exhibitions,
3. Special exhibitions and
4. Ongoing exhibitions.

9. Exhibition
In-door Open

10. Veethi Sankul - Indoor Galleries
• This is constructed in about 12000 sq. mt. area with spacious
exhibition halls
• It has a reference library, indoor & outdoor auditoriums and
other miscellaneous facilities, and dedicated to the nation in
March 2005.
• The structure is unique in its architecture, constructed on a
rocky terrain incorporating difficult levels of the sloppy land.
• The various exhibition halls and auditoriums have been
constructed on approximately 16 levels.
• The structure is Approximately 7000 sq. mt. floor area is
utilized for exhibitions, in 10 galleries.

12. Travel and Transport
• IGRMS has collected
different means of Travel and
Transport used in tribal and
folk societies of India.
• The IGRMS has tried to
preserve such articles by
collecting and preserving
them in the museum.
• They collected such kind of
traditional transporting
instruments from different
parts of the country.
• Which includes bullock carts,
boats, floating instrument,
palanquin etc.

13. Tools and weapons
• Tools are the instruments used by man for solving different domestic
purposes.
• IGRMS has collected hammer, iron tongs, spade, chisel, match lock, a
wood chopping tool, anvil, a fire making device, toddy tapping tool, oil
crusher, adze, axe, rope weaving, mango cutting tool, sugar-cane crusher,
cutting tool, iron forceps, bamboo splitting tool, iron knife etc.
• Items are collected from Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh,
Assam, Tamil Nadu and other states of India which are used by the Khasi,
Warli, Jounsari, Gond, Korku, Toda, Kota, Agaria and Chenchu tribes.

14. Textiles

15. Textiles
• IGRMS has collected different varieties of costumes for
different age and sex groups from different regions.
• It includes embroidered, dyed, printed, hand woven and
fabricated clothes like Kantha, Kalamkari, Pichhavais,
Alizarine, Phulkari, Chickenkari, etc.

16. Spining
and
Weaving
• IGRMS has collected bucket for loom, loin loom with accessories, wooden tool for weaving,
loin loom, spinning article used for embroidering in weaving, spinning wheel, spindle etc.
• Collection is belongs to Manipur, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Assam, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh
used by the different tribal groups.

17. Ritual
• IGRMS has collected
a number of objects
related to worship
magical practices,
offerings and other
ritual articles.
• This collection
includes the idols,
statues, images,
offerings and other
objects of ritual
importance.

18. Weapons
• Weapons: Iron knife, spear, bent bladed cutting tool, knife, battle
axe, iron shield are some of the major weapons collected by
• Tribals: The maximum numbers of weapons are collected from
the Muria, Saora, Toda, Bondo, Kota, and Gadaba etc.
• Area: Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Assam, Tamil
Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar and Manipur.

19. Ornaments
• IGRMS has a good collection of ornaments from different
parts of the country made of different materials.
• Material include lac, glass, shells, grass, threads, beads,
feathers, bones, silver, copper, bronze etc. as well as in
particular tradition in wearing.

20. Narcotics
• The use of tobacco, alcohols and other means of narcotics are
characterized as the leisure time pass
• The objects included in this category are Tobacco pouches,
Lime and Betel leaf containers, Areca nut Crackers, Chilams,
Pipes, Hookkas, Alcohol containers, serving ladles etc.

21. Musical
Instruments
• IGRMS has a large number of collections in this category.
• Musical instruments are categorized into four groups
1. Percussion instrument,
2. String instrument,
3. Wind instrument and
4. Clapper groups.

22. Fishing
IGRMS has collected different types of fishing
implements which include nets, traps, harpoons,
spear, hooks etc. from various parts of India.

23. Household
This category includes
utensils, plates, glass,
pitchers, grinders, mate,
containers, brooms,
lamps etc. which are
made of different
materials like clay, wood,
brass, leaf and metals.

24. Hunting
Nets, traps, bow and arrow, gum sticks, spear,
cage etc. are some important hunting
implements collected by the IGRMS officials
from different parts of the country.

25. Basketry
IGRMS has collected basket with lid, carrying basket, fish basket, shallow
basket, bamboo basket etc. form Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya,
Maharashtra, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Kerala, Bihar which are used by the
Khasi, Bhil, Warli, Agaria, Toda, Bondo, Oraon, Abujh Maria, Muria, Kota,
Baiga, Rathwa was tribes for various purposes.

26. Agriculture

27. Animal Husbandary
The implements related to
animal husbandry are
collected from Gujarat,
Madhya Pradesh,
Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu etc.
used mainly by the Rabari,
Lohar, Birhor and Gond
people. The collected
articles include decoration
for camel, copper bell,
bark rope to tie the animal,
white rope for cattle,
feeding trough, ornament
for buffalo, disk for
buffalo ornamentation,
brass bell for cattle, seat
decoration on camel’s
back, copper bell for
cattle, nose top for camel
etc.

28. Games and Amusement

29. Art and Crafts

30. Open Air Exhibitions
• Open-air exhibitions partially developed and opened for the
public
• The most striking feature of the open-air exhibitions is that
the exhibits are life-size dwellings built by different tribal
communities themselves.
• The materials which are traditionally used for construction in
their respective regions were specially transported to Bhopal
for creating the replica.
• the sacred flora and ritualistic objects to be planted outside
the house-types

31. Open Air Exhibitions
1. Tribal Habitat
2. Coastal Village,
3. Desert Village,
4. Himalayan Village,
5. Mythological Trail,
6. Traditional Technology Park.

35. Activities
1. Education Programmes,
2. Workshops, Seminars,
3. Symposia,
4. Group discussions
5. Conferences,
6. Cultural Programmes,
7. Regional,
8. Cultural festivals,
9. Lectures,
10. Artists camps
11. Online Exhibitions

36. Publications

37. IGRMS Newsletter

38. ONLINE EXHIBITION SERIES
• IGMRS display online
the exhibits during
Covid 19
• The main objective of
this series is to
highlight the aesthetic
features of traditional
lifestyles, local
knowledge and
culture’s continuing
relevance with modern
society.
• The series was
inaugurated by Prahlad
Singh Patel, Union
Minister for Culture
and Tourism. he
minister and presented
a memento.

40. Any Questions ?