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Toda Embroidery
The Toda Embroidery, locally known as "pukhoor", is a fine art made by the women of the Toda pastoral people in Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu. It resembles a woven cloth but is made using red and black threads on a white cotton background, and both sides of the fabric are usable. An important symbol of a tripartite (3 things) belief system involves a symbolic colour scheme where:
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•Black indicates the underworld.
•Red shows the intermediate realm of the earth.
•White is the celestial.
This artwork has received it's Geographical indication (GI) in 2013 for this unique embroidery, a practice which has been passed on to generations. The status ensures uniform pricing for Toda embroidery products and provides protection against low-quality duplication of the art.
The fabric used is coarse bleached half white cotton cloth with bands; the woven bands on the fabric consist of two bands, one in red and one band in black, spaced at six inches. Embroidery is limited to the space within the bands and is done by using a single stitch darning needle. It is not done within an embroidery frame but is done by counting the warp and weft on the fabric which has uniform structure by the reverse stitch method.
To bring out a rich texture in the embroidered fabric, during the process of needle stitching, a small amount of tuft is deliberately allowed to bulge. Geometric pattern is achieved by counting the warp and weft in the cloth used for embroidery. The patterns used in Toda embroidery do not cover many floral motifs but generally cover celestial bodies (like Sun and Moon), reptiles, animals, and horns of buffaloes, made in crimson and black colours. Another common design in the form of black triangles in a box design is done in honour of their first priest.
Women who do embroidery consider their work as a "tribute to Nature".
A dead body is always wrapped in an embroidered fabric with traditional designs and then buried. However, coloured stripes are used in fabrics of daily use. As a traditional garment, it is worn by both men and women at all ceremonial occasions and also at funerals. Elderly people of the community wear this cloth daily.
