By R.G. Singh, Secretary, Ramsons Kala Pratishtana
The tradition of doll worship is widespread in the old Mysore region, that is, the erstwhile Princely State of Mysore. Several communities continue to proudly display, worship and celebrate the doll festival (Bombe Habba) which is a part of the annual ritual associated with Navaratri (Dasara). The dolls that are in the collection of the family are generally passed on from the mother to the daughter; they are put on display on a stepped platform consisting of odd numbers of steps — three, five, seven or nine. The topmost tier usually has the dolls representing Maharaja and Maharani and the bottom most tier has the sacred pot of plenty — Kalasha. In between tiers have a variety of dolls, accessories collected over years.
The general practice is to invite family and friends to view the dolls which are normally arranged according to a pre-selected theme or particular subject. The invited guests are offered the traditional betel-leaf nut along with a fruit and some sweets/savouries. Usually young girls are accorded special attention and showered with additional gifts since they are considered as representatives of the Goddesses visiting mortal homes.
Examining several surviving specimens of dolls made in Mysore during the bygone era, one is amazed to look at the sheer variety and exquisite craftsmanship associated with the laborious process of doll-making out of clay.
Along with staple dolls like the Raja-Rani, Dashavatara, Ashtalakshmi, etc., every year the doll connoisseurs want new varieties of dolls to be added into their collection. Hence, doll-makers make new dolls as per their imagination and creativity. But when they run out of ideas, they appropriate popular visual culture like prints, posters and even famous characters from feature films. These include the official portraits of royalty, national heroes and celebrities.
This photograph (Figure 1) of a young Prince Jayachamaraja Wadiyar shows him dapperly dressed in a long coat and a cap with zardozi embroidery. The boy, probably of six or seven years, stands straight with a firm but soulful gaze. He stands beside a couch and holds the sheathed sword with both his hands such that they are pressing down on the handle while the pointed end digs into the ground.
What is of interest is that this photograph has been an inspiration to make a doll of the young Prince (Figure 2) at a potter’s workshop in Kumbarageri, Mysore. When the doll came to Ramsons Kala Pratishtana, it was in a dilapidated condition with two holes in the body but thankfully the face was intact. First, it was cleaned and cleared of its decades of dust and grime. After careful and slow process of filling in the holes, it was restored and repainted. Finally, it regained its original glory. Now, it is a proud part of Kaladevi Doll Museum.
This twenty-inches-tall clay statuette represents one of the finest specimens of doll-making in Mysore in an era gone by. Alas, nowadays, only the sun-dried clay idols of Ganesha and Gowri are made by potters of Mysore.
[Photograph size: 14 x 9 cms.
Clay idol size: 51 cms. tall
Collection: Ramsons Kala Pratishtana]
This post was published on September 28, 2026 7:30 pm