Navratri Golu, Dussehra, is a 10 day long important festival of Hindus.
Navratri, the nine-night festival, honors Goddess Durga and her various forms of Durga. It is known as Bommla Koluvu in Andhra Pradesh and Navarathri in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
According to the Hindu calendar, Navratri begins from the first day of the bright fortnight of Ashwin which usually coincides with the end of the rainy season. And the first day begins on an Ammavasya.
Navratri, the nine-night festival, honors Goddess Durga, Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Saraswathi in South India. It is known as Bommla Koluvu in Andhra Pradesh and Navarathri in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
South Indians celebrate the nine-night festival by keeping Kolu dolls, in 9 steps or stairs. The steps are created either in iron grills, or in wooden planks and in odd numbers of 3,5,9 and the dolls are decorated.
Kolu – Decorative Ideas, Themes, Tradition
Kolu dolls of religious significance, Gods and Goddess are kept in the decoration of Navratri Kolu, also known as Golu Padi. Dasavatharam set of dolls is the most common deity found. The entire nine steps used to be filled with statues of various gods and goddesses, mostly of Ram, Lakshman, Sita, Hanuman, and the statues of Goddess like Lakshmi, Saraswathi.
Kolu is the artistic display of dolls by women during Navarathri and Dussehra in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and among certain communities in Kerala. In 2010, Navaratri begins on October 8. The dolls, called Kollu or Golu, represents the durbar or assembly of Goddess Durga.
Many ideas and themes are used for the Golu and decoration is widely, appreciated and are even awarded prizes based on the decoration and theme used for the Golu and the magnanimity.
Navratri Golu Steps, Kolu Dolls and its significance
Each locality and area in and across Tamilnadu even organizes associations which nominates the award to the best Kolu decorated in the locality.
The topmost three steps are dedicated to various gods and goddesses. In some areas, people place a ‘Purna Kumbham’ on the topmost step.
The next three steps 4, 5, 6 are dedicated to Gurus, saints, religious personalities and other highly respected figures in the country and world.
The seventh step is dedicated to various social activities and festivals. People depict marriages and important festivals in this step.
Business, crafts and other economic activities are depicted in the eighth step. Women creatively depict a buzzing market place, parks, hospitals, with small dolls and decorate it with lights and sound.
The ninth step is dedicated to dolls made of wood. Dolls of men, women, children, animals and birds are placed in this step, Chettiyar doll with vegetables and fruits made of wax are also part of the Navratri Golu.
During Navratri Kolu, the entire neighborhood, friends and relatives gather in a house and sing bhajans, religious songs dedicated to Goddess Durga. Children get dressed in various forms of God, like Radha, Krishna.
These children during the evenings, go out in the neighborhood and relatives's house and invite them for their house to see the Kolu. In south, Navratri is the time where Sundal is made, each day signifies each type of Sundal and is distributed to the guests who visit the house. Even special sweets are prepared during the period.
