Women from the Gadaba tribe, a lively indigenous group settled in the remote mountainous regions of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, wear the Nanupata, their distinctive kind of necklace. This ornament consists of two elaborately worked assemblages of tiny metal beads, very fine ones, strung on cotton-thread, a specimen embodying functional and aesthetic traditions crystallized through tribal ancestry. The pendant, made of flat-thin pieces of metal, embellished with three coiled rings, a repetitive element in tribal ornaments showing the symbolism of unity and continuity, is the focal point of each Nanupata.
At the lower end of each pendant attached is a small jingling device that jingles softly with motion, said to be of ritual significance or protection from evil. For color, a red and a yellow plastic bead adorn one end of the final cotton thread of each necklace. These colored beads enliven the general aspect of the necklace and, according to some interpretations, could mean red-energy or protection and yellow-prosperity or fertility. The Gadaba tribe preserves the legacy of weaving and making jewellery, wherein these ornaments act as markers of cultural identity and pride of womanhood and ceremonial importance. The Nanupata is a truly living testimony of tribal skill and the link to its material and spiritual heritage.