Under the 65th series of its online exhibition by Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, today presented the Origin Myth of Agaria Tribe situated in the Mythological Trail Open air exhibition of Manav Sangrahalaya has been presented online with its basic information and photographs and videos.
About this exhibition, Praveen Kumar Mishra, Director, IGRMS said that – Necessity is the mother of invention, justifying this statement human made new discoveries from time to time and tried to overcome his problems. During prehistoric times stone tools and discovery of fire were made to meet their daily needs. With the passage of time the invention of wheel and metal tools brought revolutionary changes in human life. And the discovery of iron proved to be a milestone.
In ancient literature there is mentioned about the iron smelting and people associated with this profession. Agraia tribe is one of them who were traditional iron smelters. This tribe largely inhabited in Mandla, Dindori, Balaghat and Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh and adjoining districts of Bilaspur, Rajgarh, Kawardha districts of Chhattisgarh. Agariya is the only tribe of Madhya Pradesh, which has worked in stone-iron mining since ancient times. The same Agariya people used to undertake the manufacture of iron tools also. But only a few Agariya are still following their traditional occupation of iron smelting and other few makes agricultural implements.
They get iron ore from the Maikal range, by selecting stone of dark reddish colour. They mix ore with charcoal in equal quantities in the furnace, the blast being produced by a pair of bellows and conveyed to the furnace through bamboo tubes. This process is continued steadily for hours. Soon as the flow of slag ceases, it is supposed that the process is over.