Toda embroidery derives its name from the tribe which gave birth to it – the Toda or, Tudas. This tribe is originally Dravidians, who have migrated to various places around the world, and a majority of them have settled in the state of Tamil Nadu, making the region of Nilgiri Hills their home. A discovery by the Indian Institute of Science has stated that the Todas have been staying in the Nilgiris for almost 3,500 years. This pastoral tribe has thus, given Tamil Nadu pride in a unique art form; the embroidery acquired the Geographical Indication tag in 2013.

The women of the Toda community are oppressed, they live life with strict principles and follow age-old traditions. Their Toda embroidery has been one such tradition that has been an ancient practise amongst the women, who use red and black threads to embroider beautiful patterns that are influenced by aspects of nature and tribal folk tales. These embroideries were conventionally made on cloaks called “pootkhuly” wrapped by the Toda men and women.

What makes this embroidery unusual from the others is its sewing pattern. It is unlike any other mainstream embroideries where the thread is simply sewn on the fabric, using a frame to make desired patterns. Here the warp and weft yarns of the base fabric are closely counted and done with the help of the reverse-stitch method. The patterns are embroidered so closely, following the thread count, that they look like they have been machine woven with no rough edges at the back as well. No sewing frame of any sort is used, and yet, the accuracy and intricacy of women who have no technical knowledge is mind-blowing.

This kind of embroidery is mainly done on coarse cotton fabric, traditionally white, beige or cream. Black and red threads are used to make the motifs, the most common of which is a flower. Nature plays a vital role in this art form, as the tribe solely lives in the lap of nature.