Celebrating Navratri through toys – Golu

I have been visiting my Tamil friends' home celebrating navratri and looking at their Golu. Out of curiosity and my interest in knowing their culture, we have always discussed the various aspects of the ritual and the festival. This year our kids started showing interest in observing the arrangement. And thus came the idea for this article. A lot of the information here is well known to many and can be found on many websites or other blogs. So please do not charge me with plagiarism for the common knowledge!

Golu or Kolu is an arrangement of dolls usually done in the Tamil and Telugu households. Also known as Bommai Kolu iin Tamil, Bombe Habba in Kannada, Bomma Gullu in Malyalam and Bommala Koluvu in Telugu. In Tamil, Golu or Kolu means the divine presence and in Telugu it means a court of toys. Some call it Golu while other call it Kolu. Since it represents an 'arrangement' of toys on the steps, it could have been derived from the word kolum – an arrangement of dots which is used to draw complex rangoli.

It is a belief that the divine presence is maintained in the house through the arrangement of the dolls and the Goddess herself visits the household blessing them and driving the evil away. The kolu dolls represent the victory of good over evil.

The dolls used for decoration are usually from our Indian mythology depicting the various tales. The dolls are arranged on steps that are always in odd numbers. The household determines the number of steps depending upon the number of dolls available or the convenience. Setting up of steps and dolls can be very effort taking and space consuming. The kolu setup displays the thought process of the household and their creativity. Some households try to be creative and create themed scenario depicting an idea either for fun or giving a story to the onlookers. In the arrangement, the top three steps usually contain the dolls representing Goddess Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati and the Gods Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh and other gods. The next three steps are for saints, teachers and other people of importance. The next step (seventh from top) may have dolls representing customs or marriage and other family traditions. The eighth step or last but one is the place for the famous Chettiyar and Chettichi dolls representing the prosperity. On the last step, the traditional wooden dolls – Marpachi dolls are kept. The wooden dolls are handed over through generations and must be decorated well before putting in the kolu.

There are some dolls that have become the staple of every kolu. They may differ in size or vary a little in color but are very easily identifiable. These are –

• Marapachi Bommai – For togetherness – 'Mara' means wood and 'pachi' means carved. Its origin can be traced back to Andhra Pradesh. It comes as a pair of husband and wife. Usually the dolls are not clothed, leaving some fun activity time for children to dress them up before it is being displayed. They represent the togetherness and bonding between a couple.
  
  
• Chettiar Bommai – The signs of prosperity – An old, bulbous and wealthy looking couple. Any kolu is completely incomplete without this couple. The Chettiar community is traditionally associated with being a business community. In addition to the dolls, a handful of grains, rice and jaggery is placed in front of them to make the typical Chettiar kadai- the grocery shop. The couple stands for growth, prosperity and happiness.

• Dasavathram - The 10 Incarnations of Lord Vishnu – In a golu of stories, this set has plenty to fill days and nights. Children are drawn towards the story usually told by grandparents and it becomes a good chance to familiarize them with these most loved and oft-repeated stories from Hindu mythology.

• Rama set – Wife, companion and faithful servant
• The big fat Indian wedding – Gods and goddesses getting married are a favourite display of many kolu. Some display the baaraat scene, some the Srinivasa Kalyanam – which is the marriage of Lord Narayanan and Goddess Lakshmi blessed by the other Gods and Goddesses, some have the Meenakshi Kalyanam and some have a regular couple getting married, accompanied by musicians on the nadaswaram and percussion.

• Shiva, Parvathi and family

• Tanjavur Bommai – dolls that rock – Tanjavur or Tanjore is known for its uniquely painted moving dancer dolls. An all-time children's favorite, they are very beautiful and vibrant to look at, and come in different colours. Each part is balanced on the one below and with one touch to the bottom most piece, the effect derived is very similar to that of a dancer.

Kolu arrangement is a good family and community event. While decorating their own house, the entire family is involved and is a great chance for the kids to learn about their culture through the stories from each of the dolls. Also as a customary practice, the women and children visit other households and view their kolu in South India. This way they not only learn about stories others have depicted, but also get a way to get connected.

At the start of the navratri ceremonies, the Goddess is invoked and is established in a Kalash topped with a coconut. This kalash is well decorated and covered with cloth and is placed along with the Marapachi dolls and is worshipped all the days. Finally on the Vijayadashmi or the Dussehra evening, one of the dolls is symbolically put to sleep and the kalash is moved to the North to mark the end of Navratri kolu.