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Photo Above: RANGSINA SARPO-the devine musician
Museums are not merely repositories or treasure troves of the glorious past, but they are
institutions to impart education to the general mass. With this very intension, the
Directorate of Museums have set up the District Museum, Diphu at Karbi Anglong.
One has to go back to the year 1886 to trace the history of this museum. In that very
year, in the month of April the District Museum, Diphu was established, which started
functioning in the Rangsina Bhawan, the regional office of Asom Sahity Sabha, situated at
Lorulangso. The District Museum, Diphu is an infant museum in comparison to the other
museums of Assam under this directorate. With its nuclear staff and limited facility, the
District Museum, Diphu could preserve the indegenous culture of the locality, by
collecting the socio-cultural objects of the multi ethnic tribes of the district. These
antiques and museum specimens are documented, catalogued and subjected to display.
Altogether, there are 487 numbers of museum objects.
The District Museum, Diphu displays objects of socio-cultural and archaeological
importance. Several pieces of sculpture are on display. Sculptural image of Lord
Narashimha of the 13th century A.D. in a remarkable item. There are beautifully engraved
door jambs, lintels and pillars of Uma-Maheswar, Ganesha & Vishnu etc. Besides these,
the District Museum, Diphu houses a good number of Handloom & Textile. Of these, the
Pini, Wamkok, Peseleng, Pesarpi, Piba, Rikong, Poho, Choi-ik, Choi-ang etc. of the karbis
are on display. The Dakhna, Phasra, Phali, Jym Khangra etc. of the Bodo Kacharis are also
remarkable. The Dimasa Kachari textile include Rigu, Rikhaosa, Rijamphai, pasal etc. while
Kaseng, Phaski, Thenas, Nara, Tangla etc. represent the Lalung( tiwa) group. Saipikhup,
Nihsan, Poun-mong-vom, Khamtang etc. are the Thadou Kuki items of this museum and Hmar-am,
Hmar-poun, Ngoutekher, Hmar Zakou Laisen etc. are of the Hmar tribe. Ginhu Keche, Phehre
Kechan, Pinyu Kenra, Samishelu etc. are the representatives of the Rengma Nigas. These
textiles have enriched the handloom & Textile section of the museum.
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Photo Above:- SELENG-KELOK( Peseleng Akelok)
- Decorative White
Scarf of the Karbis used by maidens
Traditional musical instruments of the Dimasa Kacharis, Thadou Kukis, Hmars & the
Karbis are also on display.
The gorgeous collection of ornaments and adornments are not less rich in this museum. In
the collection of ornaments include Nothengpi, Hiki anothengpi, Lek hiki, Sobai alek, Lek
pengkhara, Lek jingiri etc of the Karbis. Mention may be made of the Khichuong, Khimulaop,
Hah, Bilkam etc. of the Thadou kuki tribe. Thiefen, Thival etc. are the attractive neck
ornaments of the Mizos and of the Rengma Nagas, Peng, Gih, Techang, Kang etc. are on
display in the museum.
The traditional fishing and hunting implements of the different ethnic groups are also on
display.
The material culture of the tribes has been preserved through the collection of day to day
use items of the various tribes. Besides these, the display of the most secred and
important item of the Karbi culture, the "Jambili Athon" forms the centre of
attraction of the museum.
The District Museum, Diphu which was under the Directorate of Museums, Assam is being
entrusted to the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council vide Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
Notification No. HAD. 57/95/63-64, Dated the 29th June, 1995.
To preserve and protect the cultural heritage of the past, the District Museum, Diphu is
playing a vital role in creating awareness among the mass and disseminating education
through visual display.
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