Prime Minister Modi’s gift to Birsa Munda on his birth anniversary
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the National Tribal Pride Day celebrations in Jamui, Bihar on November 15, during which the Prime Minister will also pay tribute to Virtual inauguration ceremony of two tribal freedom fighter museums in Madhya Pradesh. The Prime Minister will donate to the nation the Badal Bhoi Tribal Freedom Fighters Museum in Chhindwara and the Raja Shankar Shah and Raghunath Shah Freedom Fighters Museum in Jabalpur.
Badalboy Tribal Freedom Fighters Museum, Chhindwara
The Badal Bhoi Tribal Freedom Fighters Museum building in Chhindwara city was constructed by the Public Works Department at a cost of Rs 40.69 million. The curation work here is done by Vanya Sansthan of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. It was built on available land from the old tribal museum. This place is located on Pench-Pachmarhi Road. The museum is surrounded by many scenic and important places related to the tribal freedom struggle.
In addition to 6 galleries, a studio and a library, the museum building provides ample office space. In addition, an open-air theater with a capacity of 800 spectators, a craft market (Shilpgram) and a tribal cafeteria were also built here. The old tribal museum located in the same premises has also been renovated and houses various exhibits related to tribal culture.
In this museum, live depictions of 9 major tribal freedom fighters and 16 tribal freedom fighters of the state are depicted. The first gallery is dedicated to Rani Durgavati and showcases the life of Rani Durgavati, her reign and her fight against outside invaders . Gallery-2 depicts the struggle of the Gond kings against the British government’s takeover of the Gond country during the British rule.
The British government implemented the Indian Forest Act in 1927 and the struggle of the tribal communities against it is shown in Gallery 3 in the form of Jungle Satyagraha. The fourth exhibition hall depicts the struggle of the Bil-Bilala tribe, which was good at guerrilla warfare, against the British government. The gallery depicts the struggles of heroes like Bhima Nayak, Khajya Nayak and Tantya Bhil. Gallery No. 5 and Gallery No. 6 hold painting and photography exhibitions from time to time.
Raja Shankar Shah and Raghunath Shah Freedom Fighters Museum, Jabalpur
In memory of Raja Shankar Shah and Kunwar Raghunath Shah, symbols of unique bravery and perseverance, a museum was constructed in Jabalpur in 2021 in collaboration with the state government and the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs. It is named as Raja Shankar Shah and Raghunath Shah Freedom Fighters Museum. The restoration and management of the museum building in this one-acre museum was completed by the Indian Cultural Trust (INTACH, New Delhi) at a cost of Rs 14.26 million.
The museum complex is of great historical significance as Raja Shankar Shah and Kunwar Raghunath Shah were imprisoned here for four days before their sacrifice. This historically important building has been restored to its original form through traditional conservation methods, so that this place, which symbolizes the sacrifices of Raja Shankar Shah and Kunwar Raghunath Shah, remains a permanent source of inspiration and pride for future generations.
The first exhibition hall of the museum displays the culture of the Gond tribe. The second gallery is dedicated to the memory of the sacrifices of the tribal freedom fighters of Madhya Pradesh who participated in the 1857 freedom struggle. The third gallery is shown as the court hall of Raja Shankarshah, in which the story of the sacrifice of Raja Shankarshah and Kunwar Raghunath Shah is shown through movies.
After the death of the king and Kunwar, the next gallery shows their queen and the rebellion of the 52nd Regiment. In the final gallery, a tribute is paid to Raja and Kunwar through 3D holograms. Their statues are also installed in the prison complex where Raja and Kunwar are imprisoned. People from the tribal community consider this place sacred and visit it regularly to pay their respects.
