The display of dolls at homes in Mysuru during Dasara celebrations is a rich tradition which is still practiced in many households in the city of palaces. The centuries-old tradition has remained integral to Navarathri. Colourful dolls on various themes are put on display and guests are invited home to get a glimpse of the dolls and their thematic arrangements.
Mysuru, which comes alive every year during Dasara, boasts of the doll display tradition that dates back to the times of Vijayanagar Empire. Though younger people seem less inclined to continue ‘Bombe Habba’ (Festival of Dolls) with all its elaborate traditional practices, it is not a system that has gone into oblivion.
Traditionally, most dolls are either made of wood or clay, a testament to the times when the city had many potters and clay artisans. The idols of gods and goddesses usually take centre stage in doll exhibitions. Dolls made from terracotta, ceramic, plaster of Paris, paper mesh, metal, and cloth are also exhibited. At homes where the tradition is prevalent, children love to help their mothers in adorning ‘Pattada Bombe’ (Raja-Rani dolls) and also help in creating a platform for assembling and bedecking the dolls.
Though the custom is not restricted to Mysuru, the long-lasting custom is alive here because of the city’s heritage and grand tradition of Dasara.
Preserving rich doll tradition
In 2005, Mysuru’s Ramsons Kala Pratishtana (RKP), which is into preserving and nurturing the crafts and cultural traditions, launched ‘Bombe Mane’ - an exhibition of dolls - to revive interest in the tradition of assembling and displaying dolls. It has in its collection thousands of dolls from across India. It comes up with new dolls and new concepts every Dasara.
Though it is a round-the-year expo, the new dolls and concepts are introduced every year, a month before Dasara, keeping in view the interests of doll enthusiasts who will be keen to learn new ideas for the festive season.
Hand-crafted dolls
This year, Bombe Mane, situated on Nazarbad Main Road in Mysuru and open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, has a collection of dolls spread across four floors. “Clay dolls from Tamil Nadu form a bulk of the collection. But the clay dolls from West Bengal steal the show with their compact size, exquisite detailing, and painting technique,” according to RKP.
Every year, there is a special doll display and this year it is the annual Ratha Yatra of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra held in Puri. Miniature replicas of the three massive chariots have been crafted by accomplished craftsmen from Bhubaneshwar, explain Bombe Mane promoters.
RKP, in a press release issued after the inauguration of Bombe Mane in September this year, said a diorama depicting the coronation of Shivaji is on display at Bombe Mane. The year 2023 marks the 350th anniversary of the coronation of Shivaji as Chatrapati who founded the mighty Maratha Empire. Also on display is a section paying tribute to the Rathore princess Mirabai. This year marks the 525th year of her birth.
Last year, Bombe Mane had a range of exhibits to depict Azadi Ki Amrit Mahotsav to mark 75 years of Independence. Besides Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Telangana, and Odisha too boasts of a doll tradition, and the exquisite doll collection from these states are found at the expo.
India boasts of a rich tradition of dolls right from the Indus Valley civilisation wherein excavations have unearthed abundant terracotta dolls and playthings. The tradition of doll display at homes is widespread across India. “These traditions perhaps have originated from the availability of dolls in an array of materials available locally and the abundance of talent in crafting them. Navaratri plays host to the doll festivals ‘Bombe Habba’ in the old Mysore region and ‘Golu’ of Tamil Nadu,” says RKP.
India has five exclusive museums dedicated to dolls though there are many museums in the country with small doll sections within them. Shankar’s International Dolls Museum in New Delhi; Dolls Museum in Jaipur; Rotary International Dolls Museum in Rajkot; International Doll Museum in Chandigarh and Losel Doll Museum in Dharamshala are dedicated to dolls and all of them are situated in North-Western India.
A Museum of dolls
Mysuru has perhaps become the fifth city in the country to have an exclusive museum dedicated to dolls. Kaladevi Doll Museum, again an initiative of Ramsons Kala Pratishtana, was recently inaugurated in Mysuru (near the famous Mysuru zoo). Kaladevi Doll Museum is the first such south of Vindhyas, RKP claims.
The launch of the museum coincided with World Tourism Day, with Mysuru being a preferred tourist destination in the South. The museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on all days. The launch of the doll museum marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of ‘Handicrafts Sales Emporium’ in 1970 by D. Ram Singh.
