The allure of Dasara dolls

creatively traditional

Mysuru, the cultural capital of Karnataka, immerses itself in various traditional activities with the arrival of Dasara season. Among a wide range of rituals and festivities that mark Dasara is Gombe Habba, which catches the imagination of people of all ages. Gombe Habba or the doll festival is one of the most important traditional festivities observed during this season. It is said to be the second popular custom of Dasara, next only to Jumboo Savari. Apart from Mysuru, the doll festival is observed in various other towns and cities as per local customs and traditions.

The tradition mainly involves arrangement of different types of dolls. Various dolls are neatly arranged on a slanted, stepped frame and are worshipped during the Navarathri festival. Normally, the number of steps or rows is  nine, signifying Navarathri. “The dolls should be made of clay as per the tradition,” says Rajeshwari Ganesh, whose family has a collection of dolls that is more than a century old. “My father-in-law was a secretary to the then Mysore Maharaja and most of the rituals are strictly observed even now in our family,” she says. As per the customs, the idols of Durga Devi, Shiva and Ganesha are placed in the first row. The second row has different incarnations of Devi. The third row has kalasha and dolls of kings and queens. The fourth row has idols of human incarnations of gods and the fifth has dolls of human beings in different traditional professions. The dolls of shopkeeper and his wife are a must here.

The last step is the most creative of all. It comprises dolls representing different activities of day-to-day life. Mysuru Dasara Jumboo Savari with all its elements usually finds a place here. Women offer prayers to this doll arrangement on each evening of the nine days. Young girls have a special place in the rituals. Apart from the practice of wearing specific coloured sari on each day, a particular goddess is invoked each day. The first three days are for Durga and her incarnations, the next three days are for Lakshmi, and the last three days are for Saraswathi. On Vijayadashami, the dolls are moved to the sleeping position and the kalasha is turned towards the north direction marking the culmination of the festival.

On the centre stage
After the fall of Vijayanagar rulers, Raja Wodeyar I of Mysore kingdom celebrated the first Dasara festival at Srirangapatna in 1610. “There is no reference to Gombe Habba during the early periods of Dasara celebration held in Srirangapatna, the first capital of Mysore rulers,” says historian P V Nanjaraj Urs.

Apart from clay dolls, wooden dolls are used in this festival. Most of the wooden dolls are made in Channapatna. Historically speaking, the tradition of wooden dolls started during the rule of Tipu Sultan. Hence, this tradition would have had a recent origin, probably in the 18th century. “The predominant role of Gombe Habba seems to be an inductive one. It is a platform wherein the values of life are passed on to the next generation. The dolls are the best symbols of values that are expected to be passed on to the younger ones,” opines Nanjaraj Urs.

Another interesting link that can be seen with Mysuru Gombe Habba is that of Bommai Kolu observed across Tamil Nadu during Navarathri festival. Here also, the clay dolls are placed in a similar fashion depicting various avatars of Goddess Durga. The best clay doll makers are found in the cities of Kancheepuram, Madurai and Chennai. Even today, the clay dolls used in Gombe Habba are from these towns. The same festival is also marked in neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana as Bommala Koluvu.

Changing trends get finely blended with the tradition in the present-day doll festival of Mysuru. This is visible in many ways — from the material used for making the dolls to their display patterns. Apart from clay dolls, wooden dolls, papier mache dolls and even plastic dolls have found acceptance now. The dolls representing gods are expected to be made from clay. “The difficulty of preserving clay dolls and their prohibitive cost is pushing people away from them,” opines Rajeshwari.

Apart from decorating the aesthetic doll arrangement with lights, various theme- based displays are also in vogue. Themes involving cricket, sports, army, wonders of the world or any theme that is trending finds place in the festival, reflecting the creativity of the person who arranged them. This year’s displays include the themes of recently concluded royal wedding and the Cauvery water sharing issue. These theme-based displays are usually promoted by organisations which conduct doll display competitions during the festival. And, women lead the pack with men making sporadic appearances at these competitions.

Changing trends
Though Dasara dolls are part of Mysuru Dasara festivity and the practice of exhibiting dolls is still popular among Mysureans, the changing times have brought in destructive changes. During the early days of economic liberalisation, the Indian market was flooded with cheap plastic dolls. This had a twin effect — the traditional doll makers lost their livelihood and the future generation missed a chance to know about traditional dolls.

Various people and organisations are striving to preserve the treasured tradition for posterity. One such effort is made by Ramsons Kala Pratishtana in Mysuru, which is working towards creating a market for traditional clay and wooden dolls. Established in 1995, the organisation established Bombe Mane, an exhibition cum sale museum, in 2005. Apart from showcasing various traditional display patterns, various dolls are put for sale. Thematic displays are held every year during Dasara since 2012. “The idea is to provide an innovative window to traditional artisans to create new designs that can cater to the changing tastes of the public,” says Jagadish Prasad of Bombe Mane. As a result, cartoon characters like Chhota Bheem can be along withtraditional dolls.

Here, a team of specialists work on contemporary themes and commission the artisans to produce dolls. This year, the thematic display includes the royal wedding and native breeds of cow.

A perfect blend of traditional and present-day dolls exhibited in the doll festival represent the past while reflecting the present.