The Toda tribe belongs to which mountain region?

The Todas are a small pastoral tribe living on the high plateau of the Nilgiri hills in Tamil Nadu, around Udhagamandalam (Ooty). They are classified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) because of their very small population, which is only about 2,000 people.

Key features of the Toda tribe:

They are traditionally buffalo herders, and the buffalo is central to their religion, economy and rituals. Milk and milk products are their main food, and they are strict vegetarians.

They live in small settlements called "munds".

Their huts are unique: half-barrel-shaped (like an upturned boat), made of bamboo and cane and thatched with grass, with a very small entrance through which people have to crawl.

They have sacred dairy temples, where buffalo milk is processed by priests.

Their language, also called Toda, belongs to the Dravidian family.

Toda embroidery, called "pukhoor", is done in red and black thread on white cotton cloth. Toda men and women wear a shawl called "poothkuli". Toda embroidery received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2013.

The Nilgiris are home to several other tribes, including the Kotas (craftsmen and musicians), the Badagas (farmers), the Kurumbas and the Irulas. The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, set up in 1986, was India's first biosphere reserve.

Studies of the Todas by anthropologists such as W. H. R. Rivers (1906) made them one of the best-documented tribes in the world. They traditionally practised fraternal polyandry, in which a woman married brothers.

Why not the other options?

• ✗The Garo hills of Meghalaya are home to the Garo tribe.
• ✗The Aravalli hills of Rajasthan are home to the Bhil and Mina tribes.
• ✗The Shivalik hills are home to communities such as the Gujjars.