A Walk Through Cultural Precincts of Kolkata | The Built Heritage Of Kumartuli In Kolkata

Kumartuli:-

Kumartuli, a neighborhood in Kolkata, India holds an important place in history which has a long tradition of clay idol-making along with a strong association with the most important festival of Bengal – Durga Puja.

At Kumartuli–the Colony of Potters, you would find almost 400 sculptors etching through clay brought from the nearby River Ganges to create some of the most fascinating idols of Hindu Gods and Goddesses. A whole army of sculptors, potters, frame decorators, and dressers work in harmony with heaps of straw, clay, cheap gold foils, bamboo, beads, and mundane things to create art pieces so vivid, stylised and grand that it evokes lifetime awe. More than 450 workshops owned by master sculptors regularly create idols of Gods, Goddesses, and models for museums and galleries here. The busiest time of the year is from September to February when the major Hindu festivals of Durga Puja, Kali Puja, Laxmi Puja, and Saraswati Puja are held. You can prep into the workshops to see the sculptors in work any time of the year. They usually start by building the frame out of wood, bamboo, and straw. The clay is dug out from the riverbed of Ganges and brought to the Ghat in Kumartuli by boatmen, from where they are supplied to the respective workshops. It may take up to months to sculpt and decorate each idol and the handiwork of scores of artists.