Celebrating Navratri Golu
The divine court of Goddess Durga is going to be held in my house for the next nine days . I am celebrating Navaratri or Dassera as it is probably better known as. The slaying of Mahishasura by Durga is celebrated over the nine days. While most of India celebrates the Durga Puja in Bengali style, in South India – mainly in the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, women celebrate Navratri Golu or Kolu as in Tamil Nadu or Gombei Habba as it is called in Karnataka . If anyone knows what it is called in Andhra Pradesh , please let me know.
Dolls or Bommai (Bombei)are arranged in steps (usually odd numbers) and they are artistic creations of Hindu Gods and Goddesses and their stories.To me , it is more of a connection with my childhood where I got mesmerised by Hindu mythology and legends . I grew up creating parks and zoos with my cousins while the elders arranged the dolls and hence the fondness for this festival. I keep Navratri Golu every year and colourful clay and wooden figurines of Gods and Goddesses jostle for space with mortals as Ram and Krishna are displayed along with cobblers and snake charmers.
Last year was my first Navratri Golu in Bangalore and I had posted some pictures as well. This year, my collection has expanded from wooden Panruti and Marapachi dolls to “Bommais” from Kanchipuram, Panruti , Cuddalore and Madras to a few Bengali dolls and some that I purchased off the streets in Bangalore. I do not have enough to create a theme, but I have a row dedicated to Krishna which has glimpses of his life – Vasudeva carrying the baby Krishna secretly in storm under the protection of Adiseshan, the child Krishna dancing on the snake Kalingan, relishing butter with foster mother Yashoda , to dancing with Gopikas , killing his wicked uncle, Kamsa and posing with his wives, Rukmini and Satyabhama . There is also Krishna as Parthasarthy , the charioteer of Arjuna in the Mahabharat war.
My first two rows are filled with Vishnu and his Dasavatharam and forms of the God in Ananthasayana pose with Brahma emerging from his navel to Hayagriva and Rama with his consort Seetha along with Lakshmanan and Hanuman. The Goddesses, Lakshmi , Saraswati, Durgai and Meenakshi are there to grace the Golu and the latter’s wedding to Sundaresan or Shiva (where the Madurai temple is famous for) is celebrated grandly in my house. There is also Shiva learning the meaning of Om from his son and guru , Murugan which is one of my recent collection.
Most of the dolls are new, some are given to me by my mother and a few by my mother in law as well. In our culture, Navratri Bommais are usually handed down by the mothers to their daughters and it carries on as a family heirloom. The Gods give way to mortals as lives of common men and women are juxtaposed with a rich Kuberan and his wife.
The nine days are usually filled with visitors who come home , eat “sundal “, sing songs, comment on the collection and go home.Those who keep “kalasa” do puja every day and celebrate it in all religious zeal. To me however, I am more into the art and the cultural aspect of the festival and helps me connect with my roots..
Besides sundal and a few sweets or snacks, Navratri is unlike most Hindu festivals where food takes priority over anything. At least for me..so sorry if you are expecting a feast though.However the important thing that I meticulously plan is a gift for every guest (sorry -only women ) and I spend hours combing through the streets to buy something that represents the festive spirit. Usually it is my mother and my husband who are at the receiving end in this activity and this year also, I have something interesting..I hope the guests like it 🙂
So, do join me in the celebration and come home for Navratri Golu ! You could get one too !!
By the way, this post moves away from travel towards culture and festivals which I believe is a part of a traveller’s life as well.
Lakshmi,
One of my Tamil friends who has since moved away used to have this display and invite us over. Your photos brought back all those memories. She has a trunk full of memories. Interestingly, she aquired from someplace in Chennai, an entire set of cricket team dolls, Ganesha dolls in action wicket keeping/bowling/sweeping a la Sachin , and so on. ….
(you did say “lives of common men and women are juxtaposed with a rich Kuberan and his wife. ..) 🙂
thanks for a wonderful display and heres a virtual sashtang namaskar to the deities….
super! romba nanna irruku! 🙂
You have a very interesting blog. As one addicted to travel myself, I’m sure I’ll enjoy reading your stories. Nice golu!
Lovely Lakshmi. I miss Golu because im stuck in a small apartment, but really enjoy visiting friends who have the space and the energy to get these Dolls from India. Even though my favorite are the kutti krishna doll, no golu to me will be complete without the chettiar mama and mami dolls
Well you did travel into the realm of faith and belief….catching up – dunno did not get updates of your blog….:(
very nice. can’t wait to see your work of art 🙂
hi,
The biggest attraction of golu those days were the girls in their half saris, are they still around or gone extinct. The second best was the sundal, glad atleast that survived.
rgds
vj
After reading the title I was expecting some cute soft toy story! But was taken by surprise that it’s related to the ‘Navaratris’. Now I have some idea on how Navaratri celebrated outside Bengal and Gujarat..
so do people buy or collect these dolls over years or one buys new one’s every year?
We do something similar in ‘Janmasthami’ though. Thanks for sharing. And I really loved some of the dolls, specially the round ones ‘GOLU MOLU’ and the ‘Cobblers’
nice and Happy Navaratri..
cute decorations
Beautiful Lakshmi!…I am reminded of my neighbors house in India where Golu was celebrated with much enthusiasm..
Enjoyed visiting your ( virtual)Golu, Lakshmi ! Just missed the Sundal ! :-). Long since i did any Gombe-Koorisodu for Dasara. As i read your blog, I remembered the stories and symbolisms my grandmother used to narrate to us while arranging her dolls in stipulated order. I remember also our little “parks” in large trays, sprouting Ragi for grass.
CXute figures….Happy Dusshera Laxmi
Just now I realized I never been to golu all these years, though I have been invited a couple of times during my college days. Good golu you have there.
Lakshmi: Thanks for the virtual tour of your Golu. It is very beautiful indeed 🙂
Daseera, Navaratri and Durga Pooja I had heard of, Golu I had never heard of until your post. Your post is so vibrant in every way…colorful pictures and such an interesting style of writing. It was such a pleasure to read and look at. Happy Golu to you too. 🙂
That’s simply beautiful!
Happy Navratri 🙂
Lakshmi,
very nice golu and really nice to see that you have the time to keep up with all this amidst your hetic routine. Wish I had the potential and to get more larger dolls when we come from India so that my golu could become bigger.
Your Golu is beautiful indeed. and yes, this festival is not as fanfare as some north indian stuff.
I too like sundal to eat. 🙂
beautiful doll and enjoyed the post very much and now I understand seeing so many dolls in all my andhrite friends houses.never asked them.
i love them. they are so colorful!
enjoy your holiday!
Very nice!!! 🙂
You have not mentioned about Navaratri utsav in Maharashtra and in Gujarat where it’s celebrated on a larger scale.
In Maharashtra we do Ghatastapana.
Marapachis look very cute!
Lovely golu!
Hi Lakshmi! Here I am on my weekly visit! And this week we have two wonderful posts! The Bommai are lovely! Have a great weekend!
Blogtrotter, now waiting for you Deep in Crete!
Brings back forgotten memories from childhood days at Mysore. I didn’t know you call them Golu in Tamil Nadu…
These are beautiful. Thank you for inviting us into your home!
Lakshmi,
Wonderful, beautiful! Your collection is stunning and I agree that experiencing the art and festivals of various cultures is an intrical part of travel.
x..x
Very colourful and beautiful.
Travel without any culture and history becomes rather hollow and one-dimensional – so this move is most welcome!!
Kamini.
The chettiyar doll takes place at many golu, we had this doll for long time until kids broke. Well u has beautifully arranged buddy. I have witness few golus at my relative place as younger then.
You do have a beautiful collection of dolls. Art and culture for us is so tied up with religion…
Do visit Maiji’s – my mother’s – blog for her experiences of kolu in yesteryears – http://lifeinpondicherry.blogspot.com/
What an imposing phalanx of deities indeed. Most remarkable.
They must add so much colour not to speak of inspiration, a means to connect with our shared past.
Lakshmi,
I hope you had a good time enjoying the festive season.
– celine
Greetings,
I love your Golu, I have never had this kind in my home, but might explore this next year or Navarathri…Nice blog.
UK – Thanks for such a lovely comment.I am glad the dolls brought back memories..Traditions are a great way of connecting people
Vishesh – Romba thanks .. did u eat lots of sundal ?
Bindu – Thanks…welcome to backpacker..looking forward to reading your travel stories
Anu – My apartment is very small too..do have a small golu if u can next year..Im sure u will enjoy it..I can send u dolls if u like 🙂
Ceedy – I see this more as culture, tradition and art rather than faith 🙂
Rash – wish u had come 🙂
Vijay – the half sarees or the girls ? lol, was just joking 🙂
Tanu – dolls are collected and bought each year..mostly mothers hand over dolls to their daughters as well
harekrishnaji – thanks 🙂
akira – glad it brought back nostalgic memories..thanks for dropping by ..
yosee – I miss those parks too..used to keep lots of them as kids
diana – thanks 🙂
SK – I guess u always thought it was a “ladies’ function “
Priyank – glad u liked them..its a part of south indian tradition
Vagabond – thanks..in a way indian traditions and art forms are preserved through such festivals
Sameera – thanks 🙂
Mitr-nice to know that u keep them as well..any pics ?
Cuckoo – the fanfare is absent, but its very colourful and vibrant..I like bommais or dolls :)come home sometime for sundal
Renu – glad you liked them..I like the dolls from andhra
Matt – thanks..yes, its very colorful and artistic..lots of artisans in india make a livelihood out of this
Aaarti- thanks 🙂 next time, make a visit to blr and come home
harekrishnaji – thanks for the feedback. my focus was to describe how navratri is celebrated down south as usually people forget south when it comes to national festivals..pls gv us more details .
blogeswari -thanks..yours are so cute as well. mom in law gave one and my mother another .
Gil – thanks..thats a little deviation fm a regular travel post and more into culture , glad u liked it
Shantanu – Mysore is amazing during dassera ..its called golu or kolu 🙂
Wendy – glad u liked them..do drop in when u are in india sometime
Stephanie – thank u..after all, we travel to soak in the culture as well..
Kamini – yes, i agree with u..a beautiful mountain and a sky can be found anywhere 🙂
Jeevan – did u eat sundal ?
Raji – will def visit..I dont think so, but let me not start a debate here 🙂
Anil – thanks..collective past rather i would say and it gives us a sense of identity ..i think the emotions behind these colourful dolls keep the festive spirit alive
celine – U cant imagine..i had so many guests that I virtually dropped dead for a while, but it was wonderful .thanks
Sankri – welcome to backpacker..glad u liked it..that would be a great idea..do have a golu at home
My aunt is married to an Andhraite. I came to know from her that Marapachi dolls are mainly made in Tirupati. Actually in AP, the display is known as Bommalu ( or Bommala ) Koluvu. She sent us an image of Hygreeva.
It is rather interesting for me to read the blog. Thanks for it. I like such themes and everything connected to this matter. I would like to read more on that blog soon.
Very nice “virtual” Kolu. Thanks for posting this for those who can’t visit your home. 🙂
Lovely Lakshmi, enjoyed Anu’s display too.
I have been invited by a friend for bommala koluvu. I don’t want to go empty handed. What do I take for her?
Thanks everyone
Anon – I usually buy some dolls or take some fruits and go
wonderful golu! love ur dolls, but my fav is the dashavtaram set! did u buy it recently or is it an old one? been looking for one like that… actually was in the process of writing a whole post dedicated to them 🙂
WOW!! I wish I had looked at your dolls more carefully!! Lovely post, Lakshmi!
simply superb……
Hello Madam,
That was a wonderful collection.I stay in Bangalore.I read extensively to know the areas where I can collect dolls for little less price.They are quite costly in Bangalore and the prices touch the sky during festive season.I have already started collecting a few,I am interested in mud dolls.Can you tell me the areas(if possible address!!!) either in Bangalore/Chennai.It would be very helpful in saving my time and energy if u can tell me the areas.
Hi Lakshmi – I came across this post of yours while looking for some mythological toys/ action figures for my daughter. Would be grateful if you could help me by telling where I can buy some of these images.
Your Golu decoration looks simply superb, btw!
Regards/Sandeep
You can get them in Chennai, Bangalore, Madurai, Pondy, Thajavur..anywhere during Navaratri
In Kerala it is called as Bomma Golu and in Andhra Pradesh as Bommalu Koluvu.
Lakshmi,
You take me down memory lane! An awesome writer you are and a very intelligent woman who can precisely pen her thoughts. I read this post to my mom and it brought a bright smile on her face. The post connects the reader with the tradition. Way to go Lakshmi!
Thanks so much ..It makes my day ..some traditions go more than just a ritual or a festival..I think Golu is a part of my childhood, my memories, my upbringing..
Last year I kept my first golu , this year I’m carrying my 2nd baby so can I make the golu at home this year also?