Golu is the festive display of dolls and figurines in South India during the autumn festive season, particularly around the multiday

Navaratri Navaratri is an annual Hindu festival observed in the honour of the goddess Durga. It spans over nine nights (and ten days), first in the month of Chaitra (March/April of the Gregorian calendar), and again in the month of Sharada. It is o ...

(Dussehra, Dasara) festival of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

. These displays are typically thematic, narrating a legend from a Hindu text to court life, weddings, everyday scenes, and miniature kitchen utensils. They are also known as golu, Gombe Habba, Bommai golu, or Bommala Koluvu. Each displayed item in a golu display is sometimes called a golu doll or equivalent. These are typically made by rural artisans from clay and wooden materials then brightly painted. They are generally arranged in an odd number of ''padis'' (tiers or steps) to tell a story. Goddess-related themes are common, along with developments such as anticipated wedding within the family and of friends. During the golu display season, families and neighbors visit each other with gifts to view and chit-chat over the golu display, share festive foods, and sometimes play music or sing devotional songs together. Major

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hin ...

s such as the Meenakshi Temple in

Madurai Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in ...

, arrange elaborate golu displays each year for

Etymology

Bommai golu in Tamil means ''Doll Decoration''. Bommala Koluvu in Telugu means ''Court of Toys'' and Gombe Habba means ''Doll Festival'' in Kannada. It is a part of the annual Dasara-Vijayadasami Hindu festival where young girls and women display dolls, figurine, court life, everyday scenes along with the divine presence of the goddesses

Saraswati Saraswati ( sa, सरस्वती, ) is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning. She is one of the Tridevi, along with the goddesses Lakshmi and Parvati. The earliest known mention of Saraswati as a g ...

Parvati Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi i ...

and

Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Alo ...

in the Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu households during

, the nine nights.

Description

On the first day of

, following Ganapati puja, a welcoming ritual is performed for goddesses

Durga Durga ( sa, दुर्गा, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around c ...

, and

by a Hindu ritual called ''Kalasa Aavahanam'' which is performed by an elderly male or female of the family at an auspicious time (''muhurtam''). This is then followed by building a rack of odd-numbered shelves of ''golu'' (or ''Padi'') (usually 3, 5, 7, 9, or 11), set up using wooden planks. After the steps have been covered with fabric it is then adorned with various dolls, figurines and toys according to their size, with the deities at the top. Navrathiri Golu Display in Australia

The dolls are predominantly displayed with depictions from Hindu mythological texts, court life, royal procession, ratha yatra, weddings, baby showers, everyday scenes, miniature kitchen utensils, anything a little girl would have played with. It is a traditional practice to have wooden figurines of the bride and groom together, called ' Marapacchi Bommai' or 'Pattada Gombe', usually made of sandalwood, teak or rosewood or dried coconut and decorated with new clothes each year before being displayed on the golu. In southern India, bride is presented with 'Marapacchi Bommai' during the wedding by her parents as part of wedding trousseau to initiate the yearly tradition of 'Navaratri golu' in her new home with her husband. These dolls come as couples dressed in their wedding attire, depicting husband and wife symbolizing prosperity and fertility and the start of the bride's golu collection. Display figurines are passed on from one generation to another as heirloom, and are often several generations old. In the old Kingdom of Mysore, 'Pattada Gombe' is also believed to be a tribute to the kings of the Wodeyar dynasty who ruled of the region for around 600 years. బొమ్మల కొలువు

In the evenings, women within the neighborhood invite each other to visit their homes to view the golu displays; they also exchange gifts and sweets. A ''Kuthuvilakku'' lamp is lit, in the middle of a decorated

rangoli Rangoli is an art form that originates from in the Indian subcontinent, in which patterns are created on the floor or a tabletop using materials such as powdered lime stone, red ochre, dry rice flour, coloured sand, quartz powder, flower petal ...

, while devotional hymns and

shloka Shloka or śloka ( sa, श्लोक , from the root , Macdonell, Arthur A., ''A Sanskrit Grammar for Students'', Appendix II, p. 232 (Oxford University Press, 3rd edition, 1927). in a broader sense, according to Monier-Williams's dictionary, is ...

s are chanted. After performing the puja, the food items that have been prepared are offered to the Goddess and then to the guests. The first 3 days of the festival are dedicated to

, then the next 3 days dedicated to

and finally, the last 3 days are dedicated to

. On the 9th day,

Saraswati Puja Vasant Panchami, also called Saraswati Puja in honor of the Hindu goddess Saraswati, is a festival that marks the preparation for the arrival of spring. The festival is celebrated in Indian religions in different ways depending on the region ...

, special pujas are offered to goddess

. Books and musical instruments are placed in the puja and worshipped as a source of knowledge. The 10th day,

Vijayadashami Vijayadashami ( sa, विजयदशमी, Vijayadaśamī, translit-std=IAST), also known as Dussehra, Dasara or Dashain, is a major Hindu festival celebrated at the end of Navaratri every year. It is observed on the tenth day in the Hind ...

, is regarded by some to be the most auspicious day of all. It was the day Hindus believe the

asura Asuras (Sanskrit: असुर) are a class of beings in Indic religions. They are described as power-seeking clans related to the more benevolent Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism. In its Buddhist context, the word is sometimes translated ...

Mahishasura Mahishasura is a bovine asura in Hinduism. He is depicted in literature to be a deceitful demon who pursued his evil ways by shape-shifting. Mahishasura was the son of Mahisi (Buffalo) and the great-grandson of Brahmarshi Kashyapa. He was ultima ...

was finally destroyed by Durga. It is regarded to mark a new and prosperous beginning. Later, on the evening of

, one of the doll from the display is symbolically put to sleep, and the Kalasha is moved a bit towards North to mark the end of that year's Navaratri golu display. Prayers are offered to thank deities for the successful completion of that year's Navaratri festival and with hope of a successful one the next year. Then the steps are dismantled and the dolls are packed up for the next year.

Significance

Golu also has a significant connection with the agricultural and handicrafts professions in India. Besides the economic aspect of the festival, it is an important occasion for socializing. During this season relatives and friends in south India make it a point to visit each other's homes. This is also a very important occasion that promotes creative expression for women and for the family to work together on an aesthetic aspect.

Gallery

File:Golu1.JPG, Navarathri Golu in

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

File:Navratri Golu.jpg, Navarathri Golu display. File:Golu Full View.jpg, Display of the ''Navratri Golu'' in seven steps in Tamil Nadu. File:Navratri kolu special.jpg, Navarathri Golu File:Golu australia 2018.jpg, Display of Navarathri Golu in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Australia File:A Tanjore doll.jpg, A dancing Golu doll from Thanjavur File:Masked shop owner in Melbourne golu 2020.jpg, Trader with mask showing COVID-19 safety in Golu display

Australia File:Golu in melbourne Australia.jpg, Temple village Golu display in

Australia File:Arupadai Veedu in Golu Australia 01.jpg, Arupadai Veedu in Golu

Australia File:Kalsam in Golu Australia.jpg, Kalasam in Golu

Australia File:Temple and Village in Golu Australia.jpg, Temple and village in Golu Australia

Australia File:Kailasa in Golu Australia.jpg, Kailasa in Golu

Australia File:South Indian wedding in Golu.jpg, South Indian Wedding set up in Golu

Australia File:Shop in golu Australia.jpg, South Indian Shop set up in Golu

Australia

References

External links