Setting up Odisha Manav Sangrahalaya at Gudahandi under 5T initiatives

Digambara Patra Wrote to Odisha CM from USA

Lebanon: Dear Honourable Chief Minister Sri Patnaik,I hope you are doing fine and in good health. Recently Odisha Govt has focussed 5T transformation of various temples across Odisha. However, there is an increasing local resentment in KBK-Kandhamal region that the fund allocated in KBK region is very small compared to funds allocated in coastal Odisha. One of the reasons given is that not many projects in the KBK region need big funds.

Odisha has 23 % of the tribal population and not much has been done to keep their culture and tradition. Despite being known for its tribal culture and having one of the highest numbers of tribal groups in the country, Odisha remains a largely undeveloped region, particularly KBK region. Gudahandi, situated on the border of Kalahandi-Nabarangpur districts, is one such underdeveloped area with a rich history and abundant resources including forests, mountains, medicinal plants, and water. The site is renowned for its prehistoric pictographic paintings which were discovered by the Archaeological Department of Kalahandi Princely state in 1946. While many of these paintings have faded, a few can still be evaluated today. These paintings provide insight into the primitive lifestyles of the people from Lower Paleolithic to Neolithic cultural phases. 

Gudahandi is surrounded by tribal hamlets inhabited by aboriginal tribes such as Kind, Gond, Paraja, Bhatra, Gadhva, and Saura (Sabara), and features verdant bush and forest alongside waterfalls and gorges. The area is also rich in ethno-medicinal plants. To preserve its natural wealth and traditional knowledge, I urge you to have an open anthropological museum, designated as Odisha Manav Sangrahalaya for Gudahandi. This museum will be in the lone of the Indira Gandhi Rastriya Manav Sangrahalaya, Bhopal and would serve to explore, document, and educate visitors while boosting tourism in the KBK region. 

The proposed site can be located at Kholigarh, at the foothills of Sahajkhol reserve forest, alongside the Biju Expressway. Communication to the site would be facilitated by Biju Expressway passing from Dharamgarh to Ampani and railway line passing from Junagarh Road to Nabarangpur, while Utkela airport is located at 50 km, Jaypore airport at 110 km and Raipur airport at 220 km. Thus, the open anthropological museum at Gudahandi would serve as a vital resource in preserving the tribal cultures and knowledge of the region while offering opportunities for visitors to learn and explore. 

Therefore, I request you to set up Odisha Manav Sangrahalaya at Gudahandi under 5T initiatives. 

Thank you and best regards

By Digambara Patro, Professor

Dept of Chemistry,American University of Berut, Lebanon