In News:

• The Toda tribe, one of the oldest Dravidian ethnic groups in the Nilgiris Hills of Tamil Nadu, celebrated their traditional Modhweth festival marking the New Year.

What is the Modhweth Festival?

• About:
  • Celebrated annually on the last Sunday of December or the first Sunday of January.
  • Held at the Moonpo temple in Muthanadu Mund village, Nilgiri district.
  • The Moonpo temple features a unique vertical spire with a thatched roof and a flat stone on top, making it one of the last Toda temples of its kind in the Nilgiris.
• Rituals and Celebrations:
  • Prayers are offered to the deity, Thenkish Amman, for good health, rains, and bountiful harvest.
  • Participants perform a traditional dance outside the temple.
• Unique Customs:
  • Toda youth showcase their strength and masculinity by lifting a greased boulder weighing around 80 kg.
  • Women are not part of the celebrations as per traditional customs.

What is the Toda Tribe?

• About:
  • A pastoral tribe native to the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu.
  • Classified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) in Tamil Nadu.
  • The Toda language is Dravidian but stands out for its uniqueness among Dravidian languages.
• Significance:
  • Toda lands are part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve.
  • Their territory is also recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Religion and Beliefs:
  • Their religious practices are based on a pantheon of gods, with Tökisy (goddess) and Ön (god of the underworld) as central deities.

Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR)

• About:
  • Established in 1986 as India’s first Biosphere Reserve.
  • Located across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala.
  • India’s first biosphere reserve under UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme.
• Tribal Groups in NBR:
  • Home to several groups such as Adiyan, Aranadan, Kader, Kurichian, Kuruman, and Kurumbas.
• Ecological Significance:
  • Represents the confluence of Afro-tropical and Indo-Malayan biotic zones.
• Fauna:
  • Home to species like Nilgiri tahr, Nilgiri langur, gaur, Indian elephant, Nilgiri danio (freshwater fish), and Nilgiri barbare.
• Protected Areas in NBR:
  • Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Bandipur National Park, Nagarhole National Park, Mukurthi National Park, and Silent Valley.