This pestle, which is incredibly long and club-like in shape, has, through the ages, been considered an integral part of household utility by the Gadaba, who are a tribal people mainly found in hilly regions in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. Very agrarian and self-sufficient, these people have their own agricultural implements to process the animal foods associated with domestic activities.
The strong and yet very much hardwood pestle has a rough surface on the working side and a very smooth finish for a grip on the end that is used as a handle. The juncture of the pestle's body and handle has a bulbous protrusion from which strength and balance during operation are ascertained. Iron rings tightly wound at the end of the handle could serve to reinforce the handle as a traditional way of checking crack growth in the wood over years. Such pestles are, however, mostly used with wooden or stone mortars in food preparations, making them extremely important objects in pre-modern kitchens in tribal households. Such implements are made solely through the hands of skilled carpenters of the community who would know local timber properties to handmake every piece .