Navratri Bommaigolu or Bommai Kolu is the most significant part of the Navaratri festival in South India. Bommai means dolls and Kolu means displaying. In the states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and some parts of Kerala, the tradition of Bommai Golu is practiced during the nine days of Navratri Festival. The word Kolu can be traced to Tamil Kolu or Telugu Koluvai, which means the supreme sitting in his royal durbar. Navaratri is celebrated to worship nine forms of Goddess Shakti or Devi, in memory of her victory over the demon, Mahishasuran. According to Hindu beliefs, the concept of arranging dolls on the wood is to depict that Goddess Mahishasuramardini is sitting in her Kolu, before slaying him. Bommai Kolu is also known as Bombe Habba or Bommala Koluvu.
Bommai Kolu Customs and Celebrations
Bommai Golu dolls are displayed in a series of steps that are ready-made or makeshift in nature, either in metal or wood. Similar to the door steps or staircase steps, the slanting steps are readily available in the market. It is important that the Navaratri Golu is set up with the arrangement of dolls on an odd number of steps -1, 3, 5, 7, 9 or 11. The counting starts from the topmost level and continues to the bottom-most step. The number of steps depends on the availability of the dolls and the whole steps are filled with statues of various gods and goddesses in Hindu pantheon. Nowadays, different themes are displayed in golus, ranging from ornate ones to the simple, traditional and artistic ones.
Another important custom during Navratri is to visit the houses of relatives and friends, to see their kolus. At the time of the visit, they are given prasad (popularly Sundal), kumkum, coconut, clothes and sweets. In the evenings, the lamp is lit in the middle of a decorated "kolam"(Rangoli), before the Golu and devotional hymns and shlokas are chanted. The food item prepared on the day are kept for Naivedyam and then and distributed as prasad.
Conclusion of Golu Decoration
On the Vijayadasami day, one doll from the "Golu" is symbolically put to sleep and the Kalasam is moved a bit towards North to mark the end of Golu.’ Next day, the displays are packed in cloth or paper and preserved for use the next year.
Thank you🙏
ReplyDelete