Tribal Research Center & Museum - History, Timings & Entry Fee

At a distance of 9 km from Ooty Bus Station, the Tribal Research Center & Museum is a museum located at M. Palada, Udhagamndalam, Tamil Nadu. It is one of the prominent places to visit in Ooty, especially for history buffs.

Established in the year 1983, the Tribal Research Center in Ooty is dedicated to the study of various types of minority hill tribes inhabiting South India and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It spreads over an area of 25 acres of hilly terrain at M. Palada on Ooty - Avalanchi road. The research center maintains records on all the social, cultural, economic, and religious activities of the tribals. The center also conducts in-depth research on the lifestyle, habits, and living conditions of tribes of the state, including the Todas, Kotas, and Paniyas, and puts in a lot of work to improve their lives without much disturbing their present lifestyle.

The Tribal Museum is located within the Tribal Research Centre campus that was started in the year 1995. Initially, the research center was under the Tamil University, Thanjavur, and was taken over by the Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department, Government of Tamilnadu in 1995. The main aim of establishing the museum is to preserve the cultural heritage of the tribals. The museum collection includes traditional ornaments, weapons, utensils, basketry, pottery, tribal model huts, agricultural implements, hunting and fishing materials, sculptures, tribal model temples, and medicinal and Minor forest produce items collected from about 36 different tribal ethnic communities of the state of Tamilnadu and also tribal photography of other States of India and Unionterrriotry of Andaman and Nicobar islands, etc.

Apart from the museum, the Tribal Research Center consists of a well-stocked library containing hundreds of books on tribals and also a tribal map of the land among many other things. An audio-video presentation of tribal life, during the festival, is truly an infrequent experience.

The Ooty Tribal Research Center is easily accessible from Ooty as regular buses ply along this route and you can also hire an auto rickshaw.

Timings: 10 AM - 1 PM, & 2 PM - 5 PM, Except Saturdays and Sundays

Entry: Free

Museum: Rs. 5 for Indians & Rs. 100 for foreigners