Kumartuli: The Making Of Durga Idols In Kolkata

The Name

Kumartuli is comprised of two words - "Kumar" and "Tuli". Kumar means "Potter" and Tuli means "a small place where the potters dwell". Hence, the word Kumartuli means "The Potter's Locality". The potters are also referred to as - "The God/Idol Makers" or "The Artisans". No matter what you call them, they have been doing the same work from one generation to another.

The Location

Kumartuli is located in North Kolkata. The precise location is "Banamali Sarkar Street". It lies between the Hooghly river and Rabindra Sharani. The nearest metro from Kumartuli is the Shobhabazar Metro Station. If you are in Central Kolkata, you can also take a taxi, which will take about 30 minutes to reach Kumartuli.

This location was preferred by the potters because of the availability of the clay which is found at the bank of the Hooghly river. This clay is also famous as the "Ganga Maati" (soil of river Ganga) and is considered to be the most suitable clay to craft the idols of Durga.

The Artisans

The Kumartuli locality is more than 300 years old. A group of plotters had settled in this locality in order to earn a living. Their source of income comes from idol sculpting. These potters make a variety of idols for different festivals. At present, there are about 150 families who reside in Kumartuli.

The Making Of Durga Idols

The diligent artisans of Kumartuli toil day and night in about 550 workshops to finish the Durga idols about a week prior to Durga Puja. The idols are crafted with utmost dedication and patience. All the idols of Goddess are made of bamboo and Ganga Maati (clay), which are eco-friendly.

During the Puja, many artisans are hired from other places as well to fulfill the high demand of idols all around the world. Devi Durga is accompanied by the other deities - Ganesha, Lakshmi, Kartik and Saraswati (the children of Maa Durga).

The Goddess rides a lion and slays a muscular demon. This form of Durga is normally presented in the pandals. In Kumartuli, around 4000 idols of Durga are handcrafted every year. A few idols are also shipped abroad. This intricate work of making idols involves a lot of hard work and dedication. It takes around 2-4 months to get everything ready.

Apart from the Durga idols, all the other embellishments are also handcrafted by these artisans. The idols are generally adorned with White Shola. A majority of the idols are decorated with a real attire.

Best Time To Visit Kumartuli

Although the artisans of Kumartuli work hard throughout the year to create idols for various festivities, the peak time is between the months of June and January. Durga Puja is undoubtedly the biggest and the most important occasion for them. The artisans can be seen working frantically 2-3 weeks before the Pujas to get the entire work done on time.

There is an age-old ritual of painting Durga's eyes on the auspicious day of Mahalaya. This ritual is known as "Chokkhu Daan". In order to witness Chokkhu Daan, you need to hit the locality on the very day of Mahalaya (preferably in the early morning), which takes place almost one week before the Durga Puja.