The Chettiar doll stands bright on the Golu stand though some paint has peeled away. The doll could easily be more than 50 years old, says Ramadevi, whose family was handed the heirloom by a friend. Accompanying the Chettiar doll are three Murugan dolls which were also given by the same lady.
“As per tradition, a family can start observing Golu once someone who already has a Golu display gives them one of their dolls. It is something like an inauguration. Guests who come to see the Golu also give their dolls,” says Ashwin, Ms. Ramadevi’s son.
“The display depends on each family’s creativity. Last year, we had made a depiction of a waterfall,” he adds. Ms. Ramadevi’s family began with a three-step display, comprising Goddesses Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati and it grew to five-step and now has been observing a 9-step display for the past 14 years, she says.
With festivities in full swing for Navaratri, families here have been displaying a mix of traditional Golu dolls with new ones. At the exhibition on the Eswaran Temple, one can find the best of the potter’s creativity. From 11-member cricket team to 18-piece Shivalingam set, there is something for everyone. Especially delightful are dolls which depict everyday life, like Pongal celebrations, children playing caroms, women making idlis and chappatis, traders selling fish, vegetables, a mason and a shoemaker. There are even dolls of African tribesmen. Wedding sets makes it to most Golu displays. There are, of course, certain must-haves on the Golu stands. These include the Kalasam (the puja vessel) and the ‘Marapacchi’ Bommai (pair of male and female wooden figurines). Each step symbolises a story and the dolls are arranged according to importance, with dolls of deities occupying the top steps, followed by people and animals.
“I like the story behind each step, the reason we celebrate Navaratri and the traditions involved,” says Ms. Ramadevi.
Her golu stand has a display of Vyasa dictating the Mahabharatha to Ganesha, the forms of Goddess Durga, and the avatars of Vishnu-the Dasavatharam. Another tradition that families follow is having a pot of the navadanyas sprouts. The health of the sprouts and how it has grown by the end of the Navaratri is an indication of the family’s well-being for that year, says Ms. Ramadevi.
“I have heard that this pair of dolls dressed as a king and a queen are worshipped in some faraway place,” says trader Guna, who sits with their array of dolls outside the Easwaran Koil Temple. Ms. Guna says her mother was among the earliest who set up stalls for Golu around 40 years ago, and she has now continued the tradition. “These dolls are baked and the artisans wait for them to cool off before they are painted. It is lot of work,” says Ms. Guna.
“Each day when we see the Golu stand, we are filled with a sense of peace and are happy. It is definitely a tradition I look forward to,” says Ms. Ramadevi.
