ARTS and CRAFTS
October 28, 2010
Toda embroidery from Nilgiris, Tamilnadu
O.Devi Killi, Bikkapathy mund, Nilgris
Ph: 7639350239 / 9442082311
(I do not take orders. Pl contact the artists directly.)
The todas, a pastoral tribe who inhabit the Nilgiris or Blue
mountain of Tamilnadu are believed to many to be of Greek origin. Toda
women embroider the 'poothkulli' or long wrap worn in Greek fashion by
both men and women of the tribe. The base material, normally white in
colour, is hand woven in single width and the embroidery is done by
counting of threads. Wide bands in red and black are woven at the end of
the 9 yard long 'poothkulli'. The women embroider in between these
bands creating a striking 'pallav'. The embroidery is worked on the
reverse of the cloth to produce a rich, embossed effect on the surface.
The geometric motifs, merging as they do with the woven bands are often
mistaken for woven patterns. The women do not refer to a stitching
pattern as we do for creating cross stitch designs. Out of practice,
they create the design on the cloth without tracing the pattern or
referring to a book. The finished cloth is reversible, in the sense that
both sides have a neat design.
- Crafts Council of India
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