Toda Embroidery is done on a thick white handwoven cotton cloth. The cloth has three colored straps two red and one black at the end of it. Embroidery done is reversible which means cloth looks the same from both sides.
Toda Community
This embroidery is a handicraft of the Toda community from Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu. There are eighteen tribal groups in Nilgiri and Toda community is one of them.
Toda community did not come into the contact with other populations till 1799 when the East India Company decided to explore the Nilgiris. This embroidery is known as Pugur (flower) in locals.
Toda Embroidery Puthukuli (Shawl)
The Toda work was mainly done on a shawl or wrap which both men and women used to wear during special occasions. This shawl or wrap is known as Poothkuli in the local language. They wore it during weddings, festivals, and funerals.
The embroidery is done on each type of clothing distinguished according to where it was being worn. For example, a funeral wrap had a different embroidery than a wrap which women or men will wear at a wedding. Embroidered cloth worn at a funeral has elaborated embroidery compared to embroideries done on other cloth.
There are only three colors used in Toda embroidery clothing: black, white, and red. Red and black are thread colors whereas the cloth color is white. The motifs used in Toda embroidery are inspired by nature, methodological stories, and daily life activities. Embroidery of every region has a particular touch to it. A buffalo horn is worshipped in the tribe so it is a very important motif. Other motifs are the sun, moon, snake, rabbit ear, etc.
Present Status
To keep this Toda handicraft alive government has taken many initiatives. From promoting it to giving it good funding.
In the present day, Toda embroidery has upgraded itself from only shawls to other clothes as well. You can see bags, bedsheets, pillows, curtains, etc embroidered with Toda embroidery. The commercialization of Toda embroidery has given it exposure in the world while providing a platform to survive.