The Bombe Mane expo will be open for visitors all through the year from 10 am to 7pm

Mysore/Mysuru: Ramsons Bombe Mane has been celebrating dolls festival since last 18 years by bringing the best of traditional dolls from across the country. The nineteenth edition of Bombe Mane has opened its doors exactly one month before Navarathri-2023.

The expo and sale of traditional dolls was inaugurated by Prof. M.J. Kamalakshi, former Chair-person of Karnataka Lalithakala Academy, at Ram-sons Bombe Mane, above Aamrapali Sarees, Nazarbad Main Road here last evening.

Speaking on the occasion she said she felt like entering a temple upon seeing the large number of idols of deities in the expo. Stating that she was extremely delighted at the way the dolls have been arranged, she said that even a doll can become worthy of veneration and worship. No wonder one comes across a special festival dedicated to dolls and are worshipped for 10 days  during Dasara, she said adding that Bombe Habba is bringing the best of traditional dolls from across the country.

Mangala Narasimhan, Chairperson of Crafts Council of Karnataka, Bengaluru, who spoke after inaugurating the special display section, said that one can understand the liveliness of handicrafts upon visiting Bombe Mane.

She said Ramsons deserves a National Award for its endeavours to present new themes and concepts of doll arrangement every year. R.G. Singh, Secretary, Ramsons Kala Pratishtana, Raghu Dharmendra, Doll Designer and Curator and others were present on the occasion.

Collections galore

This year Bombe Mane has an even larger collection of dolls spread over four floors. Clay dolls from Tamil Nadu form a bulk of the collection. However, the Ganges clay dolls from West Bengal steal the show with their compact size, exquisite detailing and superior painting technique.

Terracotta lamps, dolls, planters, urulis, decorative bells in varied shapes and sizes are all set to enliven the homes this festive season. The G.I. (Geographic Index) tagged paper mache dancing dolls of Tirukannur, Pondicherry, will grab the visitors attention by the sheer size and bright colours.

The PoP dolls of Kolhapur mimic the fine finish of porcelain at an affordable price. Wooden dolls from Varanasi, Channapatna, Kinhala, Kondapalli, Bobbili, Etikoppaka and Mysuru are much sought after by doll lovers from overseas. Bombe Mane has a wide array of costume dolls from Murshidabad too; the finely crafted dolls sport a variety of textiles and jewellery styles.

The highlight of this year’s special display is the annual Ratha Yatra of Lord Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra held at Puri. Miniature replicas of three massive chariots have been crafted by skilled craftsmen from Bhubaneshwar. Birds, animals and fishes made of wood in folk style of paintings, witnessing the Yatra, have been made by a team of artists from Raghurajpur. The main display consists of three scale models of vimana (decorative altars) where idols from Jagannatha temple are worshipped before being returned to sanctum sanctorum. The fine wood work has been executed by traditional chariot builders. 

Four special shringars (seasonal decorations on deities on particular special occasions) have been recreated in miniature.  Award-winning Chitrakars practicing patachitra art have added content to the diorama through their paintings. The year 2023 marks the 350th anniversary of coronation of Shivaji Maharaj as Chatrapati who founded the mighty Maratha empire. A diorama depicting the coronation of Shivaji is on display.

Also on display is a section paying tribute to Rathore Princess Mirabai, an epitome of unalloyed devotion to her chosen deity Krishna as this year marks the 525th year of her birth.