Heritage Museum in Wayanad

 

The hills of Wayanad are different from other places in Kerala as this was the last discovered landscape due to its inaccessibility & unknown tribal culture. Today the same place celebrates its vivid heritage by showcasing many items from its past in the Heritage Museum at Ambalavayal. Though there are many museums around, a heritage museum is hard to find as the exhibits only showcase the lineage of a certain community & in this case it is the Adivasi & tribes of Wayanad.

The museum is housed in a beautiful building & the exhibits are divided in 4 sections based on its importance. The four sections are Gothrasmruthi, Veerasmruthi, Jeevasmruthi & Devasmruthi. Each section is well denoted & every exhibit is marked with information of when it was found & where. There is an entry fee to visit the museum & some of the exhibits are rare and not found anywhere like the stone edicts.

The Gotra Smruthi section showcases the items which belonged to the Adivasi community who lived in these hills & are still found in many areas. The items are related to the daily life of the community including the fish trap apparatus, household items made with natural coconut leaves & husks, baskets, mud utensils, carpets & wearable items. These items in many ways have been forgotten today with the advent of technology but the tribal colonies who are still seen far & wide apart use them even today for daily purposes. 

The Veera Smruthi section is one which is a great collection of hero stones from different parts of Wayanad & possibly belongs to the hoysala regime where it was necessary to place these in honour of a person who achieved great success in a battle. The hero stones are from different eras & one can certainly see the changes made in the design & inscriptions on these stones as it passes across generations. Some of the stones have worn out but some are beautifully preserved with intricate designs of human figures & inscriptions. The museum actually celebrates these stones as one can find many hero stones places at different corners of the museum

The Jeevan Smriti section is where the life of the tribes & Adivasi is celebrated by displaying items of daily life which are from household vessels, toys, ornaments, items of worship, weapons like the modest bow & arrows, musical instruments & kitchenware. These items are such that some can still be found in many houses in Kerala & makes one remember our heritage when handmade items were used.

The Deva Smruthi is a section which traces the past from the Neolithic age to the 17th century & they have items like idols of worship, terracotta & stone figurines. There is also a display of soil exhibits from different parts of Wayanad which shows the difference in topography of this beautiful hill district. Many of the items displayed here are also from the Malabar region.

The museum is thus a place to trace our past & understand the heritage of Wayanad & helps one understand the anthropological relevance of the tribes. The items also celebrate the achievements of the archaeologists whose efforts today have helped visitors understand the heritage better.