BHOPAL: ‘Gadi,’ a traditional bullock cart of Gadoliya Lohar, Rajasthan is on display at social media pages of Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (IGRMS), Bhopal.

The exhibition is part of under online exhibition series-70, began from began from Thursday. This exhibit was collected in 1984, and it is displayed in the Tribal Habitat, an open air exhibition of the Museum.

Director of IGRMS Praveen Kumar Mishra says Gadoliya Lohars are nomadic blacksmiths and move from one village to another on a traditionally fixed route. The Gadi also forms an abode for a Gadoliya Lohar family which contains all the possessions and necessities required for their living. Usually they camp in a village for a few days during which they make not only new implements but also mend old iron implements of the villagers,’ Mishra adds.

Museum Associate Shrikant Gupta says that the Gadoliya Lohar bullock cart is heavier and sturdier than the usual village bullock cart. The typical construction lies in its “Thalia” and the “Peechla”. The “Thalia” is a sufficiently large, triangular-shaped cup-board, covered on all sides with wooden planks and having a small door at the back side. It forms the front portion of the cart.

The “Peechla”, i.e. the middle and rear portion of the cart is a large cubical structure. It is open from above and is surrounded by three walls adjacent to each other which prevent the things from falling off. The cart is decorated with iron and brass-capped nails. Earlier in the cities, they were considered strangers, but gradually these people started mingling with the mainstream population. Even today, they have been able to preserve their valuable tradition, folk literature and way of life,’ Gupta adds.

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