Kapadaganda Dungaria Kondh Shawl
Embroidery
History
The Kapdaganda is a sacred embroidered shawl made by Dongria Kondh women in Odisha’s Niyamgiri hills. It reflects their deep spiritual connection to nature, honoring the Forest God, who embodies the land and all living beings, and the Earth Goddess, who protects the village. Embroidered symbols depict these deities and the hills. Given during key life events, especially by brides to husbands, the shawl symbolizes their bond, cultural heritage, and reverence for nature.
Raw Materials and Tools
The raw materials for creating the Kapdaganda shawl include handwoven fabric, crafted by women from nearby villages, and thread for embroidery. The tools used are simple yet effective, comprising needles and threads for stitching.
Process
The fabric for the embroidery is woven by hand by the women of the nearby village and later Dongria Kondh women would buy the fabric and embroider the Kapdaganda. Later, like every other embroidery they use a needle and thread to sew the designs. The counting of fabric threads allows women to embroider evenly along the weave, resulting in symmetrical motifs on both sides of the fabric. At times, threads in the base fabric are loosened or taken out to form the design on the fabric. The stitches resemble running stitch, satin stitch, and blanket/buttonhole stitch.
Design and Color
The Kapdaganda shawl uses red, maroon, green, and yellow threads, reflecting the Dongria Kondh’s bond with nature. Red and maroon symbolize blood offerings to the Forest God and Earth Goddess, yellow represents turmeric, and green signifies the forest. Its motifs depict sacred figures and landscapes—tiny triangles for hills, larger ones for Kudalinga’s house, sloping lines for cultivated land, and straight lines for pattern separation. Tassels and pom-poms add decoration, making the shawl a symbol of cultural heritage.
Product Range
Since the shawl holds sacred value for the tribe, it has been maintained as the original single product to date.
Additional Information
