Mutua Bahadur explains the significance of motifs on the walls of a traditional Mao house to visitors. A Telegraph picture

Imphal, May 1: He is a collector, chronicler and curator rolled into one.

Bit by bit, Mutua Bahadur of Manipur has single-handedly built a Cultural Heritage Complex at Andro village, in Imphal East, and filled it with vestiges of indigenous cultures that would do any museum proud.

The complex not only stands as a symbol of the shared heritage of the various communities that inhabit Manipur and other states of the Northeast, but of some Southeast Asian countries, too.

If Bahadur, the director of the complex, has his way, it could soon become a centre for research on Southeast Asian cultures.

The complex boasts of a wide range of exhibits ? from traditional houses, musical instruments and old stone inscriptions to women?s attire, traditional ornaments, pottery and dolls.

Bahadur opened the complex in November 1993 with a lone model of a traditional Meitei house. Since then, houses of 11 ethnic groups of Manipur, including the Kuki, Tangkhul, Mao and Kabui tribes, have come up.

?The dwellings were constructed in accordance with tradition. I engaged the services of tribal elders in the process to ensure authenticity. You will not easily find a traditional Tangkhul or Kabui house elsewhere,? he added.

A devastating blaze had destroyed a Kuki and a Mao house in the complex last year, but these were reconstructed with funds provided by Lok Sabha MP Th. Meinya Singh from his Local Area Development Fund and some donations. The houses were inaugurated by the MP yesterday.

The complex also houses dolls of 29 tribes of Manipur and the traditional attire of women from various communities, including some from Myanmar, China and Bangladesh. Bahadur collected the items during his visits to these countries. These are now displayed inside the newly-constructed Mao house.

?The whole idea is to preserve traditional material of all the Southeast Asian countries. I am planning to visit countries like Thailand and Laos next year to collect traditional items of the different groups there,? he said.

Bahadur?s persistence stems from his intense desire to develop a centre for research on culture.

?Manipur will be a nodal centre for South East Asian countries once the trans-Asian highway reaches the state. Besides, such a centre will help researchers who are trying to find the origins of Mongoloid people.?

His unique collection of items has already made the Cultural Heritage Complex a major attraction for visiting dignitaries and foreign tourists.