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Craft Name: Toda Embroidery (Pukhoor)

Region: Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu

CRAFT
HISTORY

Rooted in the rich heritage of the Toda tribe, whose population of around 1,600 is spread across 69 settlements in the Nilgiri Hills, Toda Embroidery is a testament to the community’s artistic prowess. Historically engaged in buffalo herding and grassland cultivation, the Todas have preserved their cultural identity through various handicrafts, with embroidery emerging as a prominent expression of their creativity.

WHAT MAKES IT UNIQUE:

  • Entirely counted-thread, reverse embroidery, creating a raised effect unique to the community.
  • Toda embroidery is done without any drawn design, artisans visualize the pattern and count the warp and weft threads to embroider freehand

Received a
GI tag

COLOURS

  • White base cloth
  • Red & black threads forming bold geometric motifs
  • Raised surface on the front due to reverse technique

How much time does it take to make a product, and how many artisans are involved in making this craft?
A Toda embroidered piece takes 3–15 days, handcrafted by 1 Toda woman artisan using reverse-stitch geometric designs

MOTIFS

  • Buffalo horn
  • Temple forms
  • Sun, moon, fertility symbols
  • Diamonds, lozenges and other geometric patterns

RAW MATERIAL

  • White wool or cotton cloth with black & red stripes
  • Red and black wool/cotton threads
  • Occasional blue thread

CRAFT MAKING PROCESS

Toda Embroidery

HOW TO IDENTIFY GENUINE TODA EMBROIDERY

  • Raised texture on the front, flat on the back.
  • No drawn outlines, all motifs are counted and stitched.
  • The traditional palette is red + black on white.
  • Motifs are geometric, not floral or curved.