The Dorobotopadi is an exemplary piece of traditional brass fillet work, a round head ornament for women among the hill-dwelling male members of Gunsur Malias tribe in Odisha. The ornament, heavy and graceful, serves to adorn, but also serves as a testimony to the identity, status, and pride of that tribal group in its culture. The brass fillet is embossed along the circular body to build texture and beauty. The embossed designs could be geometric or floral motifs, each signifying different aspects of nature and the tribal cosmology. The designer crafts this community has very skillfully, and the traditional methods of carving and decorating brass were passed down from generation to generation, which speaks volumes about the craftsmanship and ingenuity of this community.
The Dorobotopadi would ordinarily be worn and is therefore associated with beauty, dignity, and belonging on occasions like festivals, marriage ceremonies, and cultural events. Therefore, among the Hill Gunsur Malias, the ornament carries dignity in the rites of passage as it is given unto young women upon maturity or when entering marriage. Brass, considered by various tribal traditions to be very auspicious, is the choice of material not just for its strength and durability but also for the warm glint that complements the natural hues of skin and fabric worn. This becomes an intense symbol of tribal identity when in combination with other items like earrings and necklaces. The head ornament keeps on preserving and expressing the cultural essence and ancestral wisdom of the Hill-Gunsur Malias.