The tribal research center (T R C)

The tribal research center (T R C) was constituted on second October 1983 at Udhagamandalam and is functioning on its own 25 acres of hill terrain at M Paladin, 10 km away from Ooty bus stand. His Excellency, the then President of India, Thiru Gyani Zail Singh had very kindly laid the foundation stone for the Tribal Research Centre, listed at present with Ministry of Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare, Government of Tamil Nadu, Chennai. This center is funded by both State and central Governments on 5050 basic and it is the youngest of the 14 Tribal Research institutes in the country. The relevance of Tribal Research Centre is very much identified as 'Tribal Essential Institute' for the welfare of the 36 Scheduled Tribes of Tamil Nadu

Major objectives of the Tribal Research centre are

To conduct studies on tribal Communities
To import training and proper orientation on tribal cultures and development.
To record Social, Economic, Religious, political and Psychological changes among the Scheduled Tribes.
To recommend weaker community
Thus the Tribal Research Centre is acting as an integral part of the planned Development of the Tribals. It is concentrating more on Nilgiris district because all the six Primitive Tribal Groups (PTGs) identified by the Government of India like Todas, Kotas, Irulas, Kurumbas, Paniyans and Kattunayakans are exclusive inhabiting since ages in Nilgiri hills.


Facilities Available at Tribal Research Centre
Library with books and journals on tribal studies
Well furnished Guest house
Tribal Map on the land
Audio-video system to entertain tribal festivals and tradition of dance and song
Indoor and open Air Tribal Museum.
Special Cultural heritage Attraction
The Tribal Museum is function in the campus of Tribal Research Centre since 1989 depicting various tribal cultures of Tamil Nadu and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Recently carved fier-made tribal statues are attracting more number of tourists from India and abroad

The Tribal Museum is functioning in the campus of Tribal Research Centre which is located at Muthorai Palada, 10 km away from Ooty town. Tribal Museum is placed on the hillock depicting rare artifacts and photographs of primitive tribal groups of Tamil Nadu as well as Andaman and Nicobar Islands and developed on the interests of Anthropological and Archaeological primitive human culture and heritage. Tribal Museum is also having an open air tribal houses belongs to Toda, Kota, Paniya, Kurumba and Kanikaran. Popular six sculptures are exhibited inside the museum depicting the life size physical anthrop models of Todas, Kotas and Paniya.

The Tribal Museum is part of the campus of Tribal Research Centre which is in Muthorai Palada (10 km from Ooty town). It is home to rare artifacts and photographs of tribal groups of Tamil Nadu as well as Andaman and Nicobar Islands and anthropological and archaeological primitive human culture and heritage. The Tribal Museum also displays houses belongs to Toda, Kota, Paniya, Kurumba and Kanikaran.

It’s hard to say why you should love this museum more: for its decently executed exhibits on Nilgiri and Andaman tribal groups, or the decomposing corpses of badly stuffed local wildlife, including a rotting mongoose that just arrived from hell’s deepest pit and a ‘python’ apparently made from several socks, a blanket and those googly eyes you buy at the local crafts store. OK: seriously, the artefacts are fantastic – you may never get the chance to hold a Stone Age bow in your life again – and descriptions of the tribes are good, if written by anthropologists with no filter from academia to normal English. The guides are either researchers who can give you an enthusiastic account of their expeditions, or some hapless local staffer who shouts ‘Spear! Spear!’ while gesturing at a spear. The museum is just beyond the village of M Palada, 11km from Ooty on the way to Emerald. Catch any of the frequent buses heading to M Palada and walk from there, or hire a rickshaw from Ooty for around Rs300 return.