Dolls of different sizes and hues depicting legendary events in epics are on display at an exhibition of ‘kolu dolls’ at the Poompuhar showroom of the Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation in the city.
The dolls have been neatly arranged at a spacious hall attracting the visitors.
“Set doll” has been the special feature of this year’s arrivals. “Each set represents an important incident associated with a god or goddess. For example, the set on ‘Kayilayam’ comprises 20 idols and the ‘Ural katti Krishnan’ has six idols.
Viswarupam set has about eight idols while the ‘Girivalam set’ on Tiruvannamalai temple has about a dozen idols including different forms of Lord Shiva and saint Arunagirinathar.
“We provide several options to customers to suit their needs and tastes,” says R. Ganga Devi, Manager of the showroom. For instance, the idols of ‘Dasavatharam’ and ‘Ashta Lakshmi’ are available in different sizes. The arrangement of idols has been on the lines of ‘kolu’ model. While the bigger idols are arranged at an elevation representing the first step of the ‘kolu’, the smaller ones are on the last step, close to the visitors.
The festival provides an opportunity for the artisans of different areas in the state to market their produce. The artisans have set up stalls displaying the dolls made by them.
V. Chinnadurai, from Tiruvanaikovil, says that there has been a change in the taste of the customers. Innovation has been key factor for sustaining their livelihood. There has been a growing demand for the “Kallazhagar set” describing the beauty of the annual festival at Vaigai in Madurai. People from the northern states prefer the idols of Tamil culture, he points out.
Bhoopathy from Thanjavur says that deviating from the conventional method, the artisans have been making idols depicting specific event or legend.
The ‘Kalinganarthanam’ set, ‘Vasudevar set’ are some of his new products. A. Kuzhandaivelu from Tiruvanaikovil says that new idols included ‘Araichimani’ and ‘farm mechanisation’.
At one corner of the hall are an array of conches made of herbal plants and the roots of Vellerukku. “A number of people prefer to offer worship during the Navarathiri using the conches,” says Ms. Ganga Devi. The conches have been brought from Coimbatore and the herbal powder is mixed with the silt in Mettupalayam, she points out.
Special discount is available on sales during the exhibition which is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily including Sundays till October 4.
