BALANGIR: When it comes to western Odisha’s heritage, Nimain Charan Panigrahi’s house in Balangir town is a treasure trove. From rare documents to folk musical instruments and traditional jewellery to bird nests, the house which has been converted into a library-cum-museum has it all.
Belonging to Sindurbahal village in Balangir Sadar block, Panigrahi has set up the library-cum-museum on the first floor of his house. While one room in the floor is a library consisting of palm leaf manuscripts, books on the region and documents, the remaining four rooms house an interesting collection of artefacts.
He has named the museum ‘Kurma’ which in Kosli language means hut. A former forester, Panigrahi was inclined towards the art, folklore and culture of western Odisha since his childhood. Also a poet and story writer in Kosli language, Panigrahi has been collecting artefacts, rare objects and books for the last 50 years from different villages of the region.
“I started travelling to villages in the region in 1975 with an aim of documenting folk traditions, objects of daily use and many other aspects of western Odisha. Even during my tenure, I used to visit villages every week for my collection”, said Panigrahi.
Along the journey, he found many artefacts which he decided to document and exhibit at his house for reference by future generations.
His library has more than 5,000 old and valuable books including 1895 edition of Srimad Bhagavad Gita, 1809 edition of Sri Nrusingha Mahatmaya and 80 palm leaf manuscripts including ‘Nrusingha Purana’, ‘Go Sastra’, ‘Bhakti Granthabali’ and ‘Chandravati Bilasa’. One of his interesting collections is rare and antique jewellery including head gear that women of the region wore in earlier times.
“Be it Kataria, Kalari, Khagla, Gunjmali, Gargadmali, Taad, Bahasuta, Gunchi, Hatmudi, Gudmudi, Guna, Karat, Dandi, Guna, Khirpini, Panpatri, Jharakathi or Chairinrimudi, I have all the traditional jewellery items in my collection,” he said.
While another section is dedicated to at least 200 types of traditional weapons, the collector also has 500 varieties of paddy including ‘Julkifasia’ which he claims is a rare variety as it produces two grains from a single seed. He found the seed from Madei village in Nabarangpur during his official visit.
Agriculture and fishing implements like ‘kampara’, ‘kurdu’, ‘chachan’, ‘thadka’, ‘kumna’ and ‘dhair’ are also placed in his museum. Apart from silver and copper coins, Panigrahi has collected 14 bird nests from Hirakud and forests in the area.
“From many farmer households, I have brought in utensils that were used for measurement of paddy like ‘tambi’, ‘maan’ and ‘ada’”, he said. Panigrahi has been spending a substantial portion of his earnings and pension to buy these artefacts while some others were donated to him voluntarily by the owners.
Apart from people from across western Odisha, researchers from abroad like China, the US, Malaysia, Denmark, Vietnam and Thailand had visited his museum before the Covid-19 outbreak.
His quest to find objects that had been or are still integral to the culture of western Odisha is never ending.
“I keep looking for interesting things from different parts of the region that can add value to my small museum”, he says.