RAHI is First Exhibit of the Week of the month of June

Due to spread of covid-19 pandemic the museums throughout the world are closed but identifying different innovative ways to remain connected to their visitors. Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (National Museum of Mankind) has also taken up many new initiatives to face the challenges posed by this pandemic. In one such step it is coming up with a new series entitled ‘Exhibit of the Week’ to showcase its collection from all over India. Under this series, The "Rahi", A marriage palanquin of the Santhal community from Jharkhand, India was displayed in the audience as the 1st Exhibit of the June, 2020 through Facebook.

Used for carrying the bride during the departure from the parental home to the place of the groom’s family, this ornately carved ‘Rahi’, occupies a prominent space in the traditional form of marriage among the Santhal community of Jharkhand. Designed appropriately to accommodate a bride, it is beautifully decorated with canopy on the top. This marriage litter is enclosed with wooden panels from three sides. Each of these panels carries meaningful expressions of birds, animals and floral designs and scenes of marriage procession. The interior sitting platform is woven with threads. This age old practice associated with oral traditions and songs related to palanquin are nearing extinction due to various processes of change in social life.

Visitors can see this object from home through the Facebook site of the museum.