Under the eleventh series of its online exhibition by Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (IGRMS), on Thursday, ‘Medhhath Kuththi’, a traditional iron extracting furnace of Birjiya Tribe from Hanup Path, Vishunpur, District-Gumla, Jharkhand displayed in the Traditional Technology Park Open-air Exhibition of IGRMS has been presented online with its basic information and photographs and videos.
About this exhibition, Praveen Kumar Mishra, Director, IGRMS said that in this episode of online exhibition series we are introducing you to “Medhhhath Kuththi” traditional furnace for smelting iron displayed in the Traditional Technology open air exhibition. IGRMS has made an effort to collect objects related to traditional technology from various parts of the country to develop this exhibition, through which we wish to tell the visitors about the intelligence and creative genius of simple societies. This is also meant to broaden the perspective of the visitor by emphasizing the fact that traditional technologies contribute an important background to the technological splendor of contemporary world.
Pritam Choudhary, the section in charge of the exhibition area told that, “Medhhath Kuththi” traditional furnace for obtaining iron from ore is one of the object amongst these which was collected from the Birjiya tribe of the Hanup path village, District Gumla. Birjiya is a sub tribe of Asur tribe of Jharkhand. Now a days Birjiya also has got the status of a separate tribe. Birjiyas use to melt the iron through traditional technology. In addition, couple of other communities like Asur, Veer Asur, Sinduria Asur, of Jharkhand and the Agaria tribe of Madhya Pradesh also obtain iron by applying the same technique.
This clay and husk made cylindrical furnace is 85 cm in height and maximum 220 cm in cylindrical shape. The hollow furnace has a hole like opening at it’s base in which a clay funnel is inserted with help of wet ash. During the process of smelting this clay funnel supply the air into the furnace coming from fan or a traditional bellow.