Wooden Chaki is the traditional circular platform used by the Toda tribe in Tamil Nadu for their daily cooking practices, especially for baking bread. Three legs support the platform, each leg having grooves carved into them so as to augment its stability as well as its utility. Among the most common characteristics of this Chaki is a sculptured humanoid tortoise head on one side of the platform, which gives a particular distinct visage of the whole structure to look like a tortoise. This sculptured part not only enhances the aesthetic look of the chaki but also represents the eco-friendly attribute of the tribe in terms of woodcraft skills.
The Wooden Chaki, or now referred to as a round table, is extensively in use among the Toda for making Indian breads, which forms a bulk part of their daily diet. A bak Chaki would serve as the basic source for rolling out dough, and thus be part of the Toda food preparation rituals. This true piece has highlighted the very culture of Toda, in which art meets science.
The Chaki forms part of many significant cultural artifacts that form a link between the tribe's traditional mode of living, rooting into nature, and their rich artistic patrimony.