Clay and Spirit: Kumartuli’s Living Tradition

The months of September and October in West Bengal are auspicious. This is the time when Bengalis all over the world and especially in West Bengal celebrate one of the most important festivals, i.e., Durga Puja. It is the biggest festival celebrated across the state. It is a ten-day festival that celebrates the victory of good over evil and the triumph of Goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasura. In December 2020, UNESCO declared it as the “Intangible Cultural Heritage”. In West Bengal, the preparations for the festival begin months before, where idols are made and pandals are built. These pandals and idols illustrate and depict their own themes. They serve as a testament to the creativity and artistic expression that best represent Bengali culture and traditions. The festival of Durga Puja marks the end of six days of Navratri in the month of Aswina, which is a season of great prosperity when people celebrate life, anticipate the blessings of a plentiful harvest in the future, and hope for a brighter tomorrow.

West Bengal’s Kolkata has the well-known neighbourhood, the centre of idol making and music named “Kumartuli”. The potters of Kumartuli are not focused only on one art, i.e., idol making, but also on clay objects like pottery, toys, bowls, daaker saaj, jewellery, etc. Kolkata’s traditional area, Kumartuli, is situated between the Hooghly River and Rabindra Sarani. Baghbazar lies to the north, while Shobhabazar lies to the south. It is surrounded by important locations, including Shyampukur, Ahiritolla, Jorasanko, and Jorabagan.

HOW DID IT ALL START?

The Battle of Plassey, which took place here in 1757, is where it all began. A potter from Krishnanagar in the Nadia region of West Bengal was invited by Raja Nabakrishna Deb, the founder of the Shobhabazar Raj dynasty, a well-known zamindar in British India and a close associate of Robert Clive. Having him make an idol for Durga Puja was his primary objective. He’d stayed in Kumartuli because his amazing sculpting skills necessitated that he stay. The Kumartuli tradition was started by him, the first potter. His idol was used to celebrate the East India Company‘s triumph in the Battle of Plassey during the Durga Puja holiday.

Fort William was built by the company at Gobindapur, and it quickly gained popularity among the locals who were rich. They said they wanted to celebrate Durga Puja in the same way as Raja Nabakrishna Deb did. As a result, additional Krishanagar potters were required. All of the potters who made Maa Durga idols went great distances to live in their patrons’ zamindar mansions. The potters, however, begged to relocate closer to their clients’ houses since they were having trouble travelling from Krishananagar. One employee of the British East India Company, John Zephaniah Holwell, took on the task of building a workers’ village. He saw the value of this art form and its industrial relevance at the time as a result of his interest in it. He carefully investigated and discovered that the potters needed mostly Ganges water. It was essential for sculpting with clay. Thus he chose a site close to the Ganges called Rogo Meeter’s Ghat, now Baghbazaar Ghat, to ease their suffering. Based on the potters’ vocation, the area was renamed Coormartolly, now Kumartuli, which means potter’s colony. The foundation for this site has now been established. The word “Kumartuli” can be divided into two Bengali words, “Kumor”, meaning pottery, and “Toli”, meaning locality. Thus, it is the locality of potters.

It is reported that certain artist families from the Vikrampur area of the Dhaka district, which is now in Bangladesh, moved there after Bengal was partitioned. Additionally, a significant portion of the Kumartuli area’s population is made up of these individuals from East Bengal. It was discovered that the artists’ living quarters in Kumartuli are separated into two sections, namely the eastern and western sections. People from West Bengal reside in the eastern section, while those from East Bengal occupy the western section.

HOW DID THEY MAKE IDOLS?

The craftsman in Chaitra Sankranti, commonly known as Poila Baisakh, the beginning of the Bengali calendar, performs a ceremony before handling the dried bamboo sticks that will be utilised to construct the first idol they will create. They then carry on with their task, creating several clay idols. Several steps are involved in the idol-making process. Sun-dried clay, which is not cooked, is used to make the idols instead of baked clay or terracotta. We call this terracruda. The three major stages can be used to classify the idol-making process. The idol’s kathamo, or frame made of bamboo and wood, is made in the first step. Then the mud and clay are prepared, and finally the idol is coloured and decorated.

• The First Stage: In order to create the skeletal structure of the idols, the Kumars purchase bamboo and wood from the market, cut them, attach them with pins, and bind them together with ropes. People who carry the idols out to their pandals worship the kathamo and conduct a few rituals before the sculpting starts. When the kathamo is finished, straw or hay is attached to give it an approximate idol shape.
  
• The Second Stage: The idol’s straw construction is covered with mud by the Kumars. The mud utilised is a blend of water and clay, which was collected from the riverbank at Uluberia village, West Bengal, where there is less sand than along the Hooghly’s banks. To get rid of contaminants, the artisans trample the mud using their feet. The idols are sculpted using two types of mud, bele mati (crisp clay) and entel mati (sticky clay), each with a different purpose. Tush, or rice husk, is combined with entel mati and placed on the idol’s straw structure. It is then allowed to dry for a period of three to four days. After that, the bele mati is put on top of the entel mati layer and allowed to cool down for five to six days. The dried idol sculptures are patched with mud and cotton garments if there are any obvious fractures.
  
  
• The Third Stage: Therefore, the face, palms, and fingers are manufactured separately and assembled when the idol’s body is ready. Because of the substantial demand for deities, these pieces are manufactured using moulds, which save time when creating forms again. The bele mati used to make the face is polished by rubbing it with sandpaper. After then, the idols are embellished and coloured. The artists of Kumartuli summon the powers of the feminine goddess by adorning the eyes of Durga idols on the sacred day of Mahalaya, which signifies the start of Devipaksha. This is known as Chokkhudaan, or gifting of the eyes. White paint is applied in the initial coat. After drying once again, the idol is tinted with various body hues, such as flesh, pearl, or golden yellow. At first, only natural hues were utilised. Artists even created the paintbrushes.

  

• The Fourth Stage: The next stage is to add decorations to it. The idols are dressed in sarees, dhotis, or any other type of material. It’s interesting to note that the idols’ attire is chosen with the shifting fashion trends and consumer preferences in mind. Occasionally, the entire idol—including the hair and clothing—is rendered in clay. Daaker saaj was formerly completed using unique, thin silver sheets that were sent from Germany via postal service. As a result, this ornamentation was given the term daaker saaj, where saaj means decoration and daak means post.
  Chokkhudaan (source: Shutterstock)

WHAT TOOLS WERE USED FOR THE PROCESS?

• Clay – It is brought from Uluberia Village, Diamond Harbour, Hooghly River, and other Kolkata regions. Entel Mati or Ganga Mati and Bele Mati are the most widely used clays.
• Rice Husk – It is generally mixed with the clay from Bengaluru for stiffness purposes.
• Hay – It is mixed with the clay in giving the final details to the sculptures.
• Sticks and ropes – Handmade sticks of bamboo and others are preferred in making the frame structure for the sculpture.
• Plank of wood – It is used to spread the parts of the idol made in clay.
• Jute Fibre – It is mixed with clay to get a grip in making idols, and also it is fixed as hair for the deities and lion figures.

• Nails – It is used to fix the cloth material to the portions wherever it is required.
• Maida paste – It is used to stick the hair and golden papers on the idol. It is mixed with Tetul seeds or tamarind seeds.
• Poster and acrylic colours – It is used generally to paint the idols.
• Moulds – To make the exact and proportionate faces, hands, and legs of the deities.

  

ORNAMENTATION ON THE IDOLS

The idol in its final stages or when completely finished in making depicts illustrations and decorations on itself. A remarkable ornamentation is observed on the face drawn by Kumars or Potters. Different designs have been depicted on the idol depending on the style of the craftsmen. The idols produced here are rich in symbolic motifs that reflect both religious iconography and local artistic tradition:

1. Third Eye Durga: The Third Eye of Durga is a representation of the wisdom and might of God.
2. Mahisasur: Under the goddess’ feet, Mahishasura is a buffalo monster that symbolises the victory of purity over evil.
3. Weapons in Durga’s Hands: Every weapon (sword, trident, discus, etc.) that has been bestowed by a separate deity represents power, defence, and divine assistance.
4. The Lotus Motif: The lotus motif, which represents purity and heavenly beauty, is shown in hands or as a foundation.
5. Lion Vahana: The lion, Durga’s steed, represents bravery and might.
6. Ornamental Details: Traditional Bengali traditions and temple architecture are echoed by elaborate jewellery, crown decorations, and saree pleats.
7. Nature-inspired Motifs: It is to link the divine with nature; leaves, flowers, and vines are frequently included in the idol’s foundation and background.

HOW WELL IS THE MARKET FLOURISHING?

The narrow streets of Kumartuli are home to around 450 workshops. Idols of gods and goddesses as well as models for other uses are frequently made by the talented craftsman. Bengalis enjoy festivals and celebrations throughout the year, but the busiest time of year is just before Durga Puja. The craftspeople of Kumartuli are occupied with Ganesh and Viswakarma pujas even before Durga Puja. Laxmi Puja, Kali Puja, and Saraswati Puja follow Durga Puja. Clay idol-making has a long and rich history in Kumartuli, and it is closely linked to the Durga Puja celebration. The demand for the export business of Kumartuli potters has increased as a result of the festival’s global celebration. Most Kumartuli idol artisans are elderly and labour in their cramped, dark chambers. The idols have been produced for many years. A typical artisan’s workshop is a rectangular space with an entrance that faces the lane or road. Rows of idols are arranged on either side of the workshop once you enter. There will be an exhibition of idols at different phases of completion, ranging in size from 3 feet to 20 feet. The rain is the main issue that the idol artisans in Kumartuli are facing. The clay statues are tough to sundry since Durga Puja is celebrated following the monsoon. The craftspeople occasionally even employ blowers and Bunsen burner flame to dry them.

THE FUTURE OF KUMARTULI

 The current generation is searching for other employment possibilities because the pay in this field is minimal,. It is disheartening to observe that theme pujas fail to give these craftspeople credit for the lavish expenditures they make on decorations and pandal. If the artisans maintain a high price, the idols are frequently left unsold. The idol makers have also suffered as a result of the dramatic increase in raw material prices. Additionally, many young artisans have challenged their traditions as a consequence of the constant push of commersialisation. The idols’ styles have evolved throughout time. Professional artists are being hired by the Durga Puja organisers, who are increasingly interested in theme-based celebrations. The Kumartuli idol makers are adversely affected by this.

The Kumars are attempting to change who they are. They also create ornamental objects, sculptures, and other things. They also must earn a livelihood, after all. In this case, the market for the goddess’ idol originates both overseas and in other Indian states. Nowadays, the Kumars have embraced technology, and several of them have their own websites.

CONCLUSION

Artists with exceptional potential may be found in Kumartuli. We may just watch in astonishment as the filthy and seasoned skills of the Kumartuli idol craftsmen meticulously and respectfully create every feature of the Goddess. These artisans are really fortunate to be able to so skillfully bring the Goddess to life. It is an amalgamation where individuals from all walks of life utilise their imaginations to joyfully create sculptures and idols of their own religions rather than their own. Additionally, both sexes are represented among the craftspeople. This little Kumartuli lane is a perfect illustration of Kolkata’s commitment to secularism.

REFERENCES

• https://taleof2backpackers.com/kumartuli-idol-makers-kolkata/
• https://calcuttaheritagecollective.com/journal/CHC+LORETO%20Kumartuli.pdf
• https://www.allmultidisciplinaryjournal.com/uploads/archives/20220625143001_C-22-133.1.pdf
• https://hindustanuniv.ac.in/assets/naac/CA/1_3_4/3390_MEADHINI_SASI.pdf
• https://www.wbtourism.gov.in/durgapuja