The fragrance of wet earth permeates, reverberates, surrounds, and rises up to proclaim the coming of the auspicious occasion—Durga Puja—as the torrential rain gushes down the plastic and tarpaulin sheets of the tiny lanes of Kumartuli, covering the half-made clay idols.
Finally, the artisans of Kumartuli proclaim the occasion by calling upon the powers of the female goddess by painting the eyes of the Durga idols, popularly known as Chokkhudaan, or bestowing of the eyes, as the dawn of Mahalaya heralds the arrival of the Devipaksha and the last ablutions are offered to seek blessings from one’s ancestors on the banks of the sacred River Ganga.
This small, but incredibly well-known and well-known region of Kumartuli is tucked away in the Sova bazar area of the northern part of the current city of Kolkata (West Bengal, India), close to the recently built underground metro-railway station of the same name. It is a popular and annual sight in the area every year.
The Kumbhars, a hub of activity for idol makers, with their tiny, congested workshops next to crowded tenements, hum with activity throughout most of the year, especially around Durga puja season.
The style of the clay idols, their expressions, and portrayals, particularly those manufactured for Durga puja, have increased over time and undergone modifications in the region.
Those who make clay models in Kumartuli claim to be descendants of those who carved Durga idols for Maharaja Krishna Chandra of Krishnanagar.
Many historians think that the craftsmen’s progenitors were wandering potters who arrived under the Raj. Another story says that Raja Nabakrishna Deb oversaw getting the Pals to Kolkata.
He wanted to commemorate Durga Pooja in remembrance of the British victory at the Battle of Plassey in 1757. The idol for his pooja was made, so the story goes, by a young Pal family member from Krishnanagar.
