A traditional tribal dress on display at Assam state museum. Picture by Eastern Projections

Nov. 26: An exclusive museum showcasing the tribal life of Assam is coming up at Sonapur on the city suburbs.

The proposed Tribal Heritage Museum — to be constructed by the state tourism department, promises to provide the visitors interesting insights into the cultures and customs of the indigenous tribal communities of the state.

“The tribal museum will be dedicated to all the indigenous tribal communities of the state,” minister of social welfare and jail, Akon Bora, said.

Bora, who is the sitting MLA of Dispur, has been actively associated with the project, as the museum will come up in his constituency.

He said the state government has conceived the museum mainly to offer the tourists an opportunity to experience tribal culture and know more about the ethnic tribes of Assam.

“The government has sanctioned Rs 135 crore for the project and chief minister Tarun Gogoi will lay the foundation stone of the museum shortly at Nazirakhat in Sonapur,” Bora said.

The museum site has been aptly selected, as Sonapur is predominantly inhabited by different tribal communities such as Lalung, Karbi, Mikir, Bodo and Kachari.

The proposed museum will display a “rich collection” of items like clothes, pictures, artefacts, earthenware, which depict the life as well as customs of the tribal people.

The tourism department also has plans to exhibit some outstanding documentation on tribal communities in the museum galleries.

The museum is likely to become a sought after destination for the tourists visiting the region.

“The museum is expected to be inaugurated in 2009-2010 as it would take about a couple of years for the construction to complete,” Bora said.

He said the state tourism department has also prepared plan for development of tourism facilities at the picturesque Chandrapur, on the outskirts of the state capital.

“Under the initiative of the chief minister, the state government has decided to develop Chandrapur and the adjoining Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary as an eco-tourism hub since the entire belt has huge tourism potential,” he said.

According to him, the state government is going to construct a tourist lodge at Chandrapur with funds received from the North Eastern Council (NEC).

Chandrapur, a popular picnic spot, has many places of tourist interest like Hatishila, Kalangpar, Nizarapar and Amchang tea estate.

Bora said the government would soon take up steps for beautification of Hatishila, which derived its name from two big stones lying there which closely resembles the front of an elephant.