The Tribal Museum

In the heart of Araku Valley, the Araku Tribal Museum is located on Araku Road. Situated nearby the botanical gardens of Padmapuram, this museum provides an insight into the culture and lifestyle of the local tribal communities in the Eastern Ghats. Araku Tribal Museum has a robust theme and is constructed with mud and clay. It represents an Indian Tribal Community in its truest essence.

This museum was established in 1996 by the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation and is spread over two levels. The Valley of Araku has about nineteen tribes living in the vicinity of the city. The Araku Tribal Museum is not a historical landmark, but it raises awareness and provides information about the tribes that live here today.

The museum was built to show in motion the tribal lifestyle, beginning with a kitchen that exhibits iron and mud utensils. At the entrance, there is a series of photos portraying the fascinating tribal’s wedding ceremony. The museum passages that connect different sections are made of mud walls adorned with beautiful tribal illustrations and artwork. This Tribal Museum is also having an impressive section that depicts the local tribal dance of the tribes of Mayur and Dhimsa. Artifacts like authentic tribal jewelry, hunting tools, clay figures, exquisite textiles, etc are also displayed.

The museum also provides a Tribal Art and Crafts Center to encourage tribal art, where frequent workshops and exhibits are held. Housing services, restaurants, and shops can be found in the museum selling indigenous souvenirs such as handicrafts designed and created by the tribal people themselves.