Sharad Navratri is a nine-day-long festival which carries importance for the Hindu community worldwide. This year, it will be celebrated from October 15 to 24. Several people celebrate this festival in their own unique ways. In Puducherry (Tamil Nadu), people celebrate this festival by worshipping Kolu dolls in their homes. These dolls feature the idols of Swami, Alwars, Nayanmars, Dasavathara, Mahabharata, Ramayana, and even traditional art.
Locals decorate their houses and temples with these Kolu dolls. These are usually kept on a small wooden stair-like structure, which has a length of 5 steps to 21 steps. The sale of Kolu dolls witnessed a surge during the Navratri festival. After the festive season is over, devotees store these dolls and keep them safe in a locker. Sometimes, these toys also get damaged during these 9 days, as they are delicate in nature. They are thus handled with extreme care. Puducherry has come up with an amazing idea to avoid such hassles. They are selling Kolu dolls which are digitally produced on paper. These digital Kolu dolls are kept on 5-step to 18-step stairs and are available for sale.
It is decorated in such a way that it does not clog too much space inside the house. The combo of the stairs and dolls are sold together. The instructions for setting up the digital Kolu dolls are given in the box. In Puducherry, these Kolu dolls are available in the price range of Rs 600 to 4,000.
This is not the only district that has an upward sale of Kolu dolls during Navratri. The Velachery village in the Madurai district of Tamil Nadu also celebrates this festival by worshipping a special kind of Kolu doll. This village is also quite famous for these dolls. They make Kolu dolls with clay which are then sold in the market. One such store which is quite popular in the Velachery area is named Brindra Arts. The shop offers DIY handmade dolls like Lakshmi Doll, Wedding Doll Set, Baby Shower Set, Thanjavur Engagement Doll, Six Face Murugan Doll, Hanuman rescuing Sita dolls and many others.