Bhopal: Here is Payli, a measuring pot, for you to treasure; on display at city museum

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Payli, a measuring pot of Bastar tribal community, is the third Exhibit of the Week of March, which is on display on the official website and social media pages of Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, Bhopal.

The exhibition, which began from Monday, is part of latest and popular online series of the museum. The height and diameter of the exhibit, which museum collected from the tribes of Bastar community in Chhattisgarh are 13cm and 13.5 cm respectively.

Museum director Praveen Kumar Mishra said Payli is a measuring pot used by folk and tribal communities of Chhattisgarh. It is a brass pot having a flat base, cylindrical body that tapers to form a narrow open mouth.

The outer body is decorated with horizontal bands and zigzag designs. A ring is attached at the middle portion of the body. Measuring pots were used to exchange the grain products against rice, oil, salt and other essential commodities. Such measuring pots are now being replaced by measuring scales. Making of Payli involves lost wax technique of hollow casting. “In Chhattisgarh, metal casting is done by Ghadwa community,” Mishra said.