Payli – a measuring pot collected from the Tribes of Bastar community of Bastar, Chhattisgarh, was displayed on Monday under the latest and popular online series of Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (IGRMS) ‘Exhibit of the Week’. The exhibit, with a height of 13 cm and base diametre of 13.5 cm, is displayed on the official website, Facebook, Instagram and twitter page of the IGRMS.

 

Director of IGRMS Praveen Kumar said that this series will focus on the masterpieces from its collection which are considered as unique for their contribution to the cultural history of a particular ethnic group or area. Payli is a measuring pot used by the folk and tribal communities of Chhattisgarh to measure and exchange the grain product against rice, oil, salt and other essentials. It is a brass pot having a flat base, cylindrical body tappers to form quite a narrow open mouth.

 

The outer body is decorated with horizontal bands and zigzag designs. Such measuring pots are now being replaced by the electronic measuring scales. Making of Payli involves lost wax technique of hollow casting. In Chhattisgarh such metal casting is done by the Ghadwa community.