Indian tribal people play a major part in constructing the cultural heritage of India. They occupy a major part in the history of India as they are considered as the true habitants of India. The tribal people are scattered in different parts o f India and they form a considerable number of the population of India. The traditional and cultural distinction of each tribal community has made them distinguishable from each other and their cultural and traditional heritage add colour and variation to the Indian culture as a whole and form a compact culture.

Indian tribal people reside in approximately 15 percent of the country’s area. Indian tribal people primarily reside in various ecological and geo-climatic conditions ranging from plains, forests, hills and inaccessible areas that perhaps lie dotted in the panoramic Indian terrain.

According to Article 342 of the Indian Constitution, at present, there exist 697 tribes as notified by the Central Government. These Indian tribal groups of people have been notified to reside in more than one State. More than half of the Indian tribal population is concentrated in the States of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Jharkhand and Gujarat, whereas in Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, Pondicherry and Chandigarh no community has been notified as a specific tribal group.

Though the tribal people in the earlier eras were not much forward but in recent times they are seen in some sectors of economical, educational and social development. The history says that India was the abode of various tribal groups since the commencement period of Indian history. The tribal people of North east India, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and other states carry their distinctness in culture, festival, costumes, food habits, and traditions. Some of the tribal clans have adopted Hinduism as their religion and a few are the followers of some other religions. The tribal celebrate their major festivals with great merriment and their tribal songs and dances.

The interesting and novel mode of lifestyle that such Indian tribal people lead, accounts for a vast section of Indian travelogue. Be it in the sphere of much-retold Indian tribes or yet-to-be-known tribes, various styles of eating, drinking, working, singing, dancing, clothing, accessorising, or religious customs, Indian tribal people lead a life of their own. This distinctness is as if encased and enveloped within a protective covering, that at times receives massive public coverage.