Hyderabad Museum will preserve the legacy of tribal heroes and Telangana’s resistance movements.
Hyderabad: The stories of Telangana’s unsung tribal freedom fighters, many of whom remain unknown to people, will soon be introduced to the public, with the Ramji Gond Tribal Freedom Fighters Museum nearing completion in Hyderabad.
Tribal welfare department officials said it is expected to be completed by November 15, coinciding with Janjatiya Gaurav Divas.
The museum will feature the lives, struggles and sacrifices of Telangana tribal freedom fighters, including Ramji Gond, Kumram Bheem, Soyam Gangulu, Sammakka‑Saralamma and other unsung heroes.
The project is an initiative from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement to recognise and remember the tribal freedom fighters and their contribution with a dedicated museum. Following a request from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, the Telangana government submitted a proposal, which was approved in 2019, and construction began in 2024, with civil works expected to be completed by September.
The museum is built with ground plus three floors, with the ground floor dedicated to displaying tribal freedom fighters and an amphitheatre. The first floor will have galleries of the socio‑economic life of Gonds, the battle begins (the impact of forest laws) and the battles led by Ramji Gond and Kumram Bheem, while the second floor will feature galleries on the Telangana Peasants’ Armed Struggle (1946‑51), Leader Soyam Gangulu, the Lambadis of Dharmapuram led by Thanu Nayak, Alluri Sitarama Raju gallery, a National Tribal gallery, Rani Gaidinliu and Samakka Sarakka Gallery.
A multi‑purpose gallery, an archival section displaying photographs, news reports, historical records and documents related to tribal freedom movements, will be set up on the third floor.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, museum curator D. Satyanarayana said curation work on the ground floor is underway and the remaining galleries will be completed in the coming weeks.
“Most people know Kumram Bheem. Very few are aware of Ramji Gond and several other tribal freedom fighters from Telangana. We hope the museum will be finished before November 15 and bring their stories to the public,” he said.
Among the prominent personalities and unsung heroes to be featured in the museum are:
1. Ramji Gond (1857–1860) The Gond tribal leader, led one of the earliest rebellions against the British and the Nizam of Hyderabad during India’s First War of Independence in 1857 — the Nirmal Ghat Uprising. He gathered around 300 Gonds and 200 Rohilla sepoys to resist British rule. The combined forces of the British and Nizam attacked and killed many of his followers in 1860. Locals say about 1,000 sepoys were hanged from a Banyan tree in Nirmal, later called the “Banyan of 1000 Nooses.”
2. Komaram Bheem (1935–1940) A Gond leader, Bheem raised the historic call of “Maave Naate, Maave Raaj” (Our rule in our land) and “Jal, Jungle, Zameen” asserting tribal rights over land, forest and natural resources, as part of the Jodeghat Struggle. He fought against the Nizam’s oppression and forest exploitation. Martyred at Jodeghat in 1940, he continues to inspire movements for tribal dignity and self‑governance.
3. Soyam Gangulu (1946–1951) Known as the “Tiger of the Koyas,” Gangulu led the Koya tribal community people in the peasant struggle against feudal landlords in the Telangana Peasants’ Armed Struggle. A master tactician and fearless fighter, he was captured through betrayal, tortured and martyred without revealing his comrades.
4. Dharmapuram Lambadi Revolt (1946–51) The Lambadi tribals rebelled against the feudal lord who tried to confiscate their crop lands under their constructed tank.
