Artistic display of Kolu dolls

Navratri is celebrated in various modes in different regions, says Ashok Krishnan

An array of dolls during Navratri in Tamil Nadu.

IN Tamil Nadu and to a lesser extent in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, the festival of Navratri is called Kolu, when women set up decorated planks in a corner and place on it all the dolls in the house. The word seems to have been derived from the Tamil Kolu or Telugu Koluvai, which means a sovereign sitting in his royal durbar. Here Goddess Mahishasuramardini is supposed to be sitting in her Kolu, prior to the slaying of the demon Mahishasura.

Navratri Kolu means literally years of collecting interesting dolls to display over these 10 days, and updating them every year. Preparations for the Kolu would begin weeks in advance. The dolls, wrapped in cotton rags and neatly stacked in huge wooden trunks, are carefully taken out, dusted, mended and sometimes, given a fresh coat of paint. Some artistically inclined women would craft a couple of new dolls for the occasion each year.

The display of the Kolu is done on wide tiers or steps in any number, maximum being nine. The number of tiers or steps should be in even numbers, like one, three, five and so on. One can erect nine steps, too, if space and time permits. A variety of dolls is displayed artistically and arranged beautifully on the steps. The first three steps — topmost — are devoted to the Gods. So all the different idols of various Gods are arranged here. The kumbham or the ceremonial jar for holy water, which is a conical vessel, is filled with fresh water. A silk cloth covers the mouth of the vessel, a coconut and mango leaves are placed on top of it. This is kept on the first step. The next three steps are devoted to saints like Sai Baba, great men like Swami Vivekananda, demigods and even national leaders who have sacrificed their lives for the country.

Various sets such as the marriage set and pongal set, which signify the various human activities are placed on the seventh step.

The eighth step is devoted to various businesses and crafts, say the Chettiar dolls (equivalent of Sethji)—a businessman and his wife are placed and their commodities like rice, pulses in cups and other utensils are kept in front of them. The ninth step is the last stage where the traditional wooden dolls called Marapachi — the male and female dolls that are dressed in colourful and shining clothes — are placed. Dolls of animals, birds, reptiles and other forms of evolution are also kept on this step.

During Kolu, the occasion is used to invite all friends, relatives and neighbours over to home to look at the display that is arranged. Every year the young girls in the house along with their mothers vie with each other to create a Kolu with a different look. All the nine days are a non-stop entertainment period with songs and dances. It is also an occasion for women to visit other households. At these gatherings, songs are sung and a special sweet known locally as sundal, made from lentil and brown sugar, is served.

On the 10^th night after the ceremonial arti and prayers, the dolls are put to ‘sleep.’ And the next day, the exhibits are packed carefully in cloth or paper and preserved for use the next year. Another novel trend is the concept of `community kolus’, when many women, unable to keep kolu in their homes, join hands and put up a kolu in a common place.

—MF

HOME