Sisa Pedan — Bonda tribal deity

Sisa Pedan — Bonda tribal deity

Tradition

Hindu / Bonda / Tribal

Location

• Bondo Hills, Malkangiri, Odisha (18.3167°N, 81.8833°E)

Sacred Narrative

The Bonda tribe (~7,000) of the Koraput-Malkangiri highlands are one of India's most ancient tribal communities. Bonda women wear distinctive beaded necklaces and no top-cloth (a visible ancient Dravidian-Austroasiatic survival). Supreme deity: Sisa Pedan — the rice-grain god. Village shrines under sāl trees.