DOLLS OF

BENGAL
¤à}ºà¹ šåt塺
DOLLS OF
BENGAL
¤à}ºà¹
šåt塺
An initiative of the Department of MSME & Textiles, Government of West Bengal
© Biswa Bangla, October 2015

An initiative of the Department of MSME &

Textiles, Government of West Bengal
Biswa Bangla: making a
world of difference
BISWA BANGLA is a single umbrella
organization showcasing, reviving
and promoting the handloom and
handicraft products of West Bengal.
It is an initiative to address the issues
that impact our heritage and the
livelihoods of thousands of traditional
craftsmen and weavers by improving the
visibility and growth of the handloom
and handicrafts sector and directly
benefiting the weavers and artisans.

So, we brought in a range of experiences

that shaped Bengal and would stay with
us in the years to come. We brought
A Biswa Bangla showroom at Dakshinapan, Kolkata
together its handlooms and handicrafts,
its sweets and sauces, its varieties of rice and honey, its cheeses and cakes, its music and books, its painters
and film makers…

This collection of dolls, which will be available at our showrooms, is another example of our continuation of
this philosophy of telling the story of Bengal – a story of how we are connected in big and small ways.

So, when someone shops at a Biswa Bangla showroom, they not only hold a piece of Bengal in their hands,
but also reach out to make the lives of thousands of our weavers and craftsmen a little better. Because we
have made a pledge that every penny that we make goes back to them as an appreciation of the wonderful
things they create and the joy that they give us.
DOLLS OF ¤à}ºà¹
BENGAL
BENGAL has a rich and ancient heritage of dolls. From the agricultural society of Mehergarh
to the urban civilization of Sindhu valley, the peculiar feminine models of fired clay,
discovered from excavations or by chance, from various corners of Bengal, are a standing
šåt塺
testimony to the craft of doll-making. ¤à}ºà¹ šåtå¡ìº¹ &A¡ ÎåšøàW¡ã> Òü[t¡ÒàÎ "àìá ú "à³à샹 "à[ƒ³ šø[št¡à³Ò샹 ™àƒå[¤Å«àÎ Îgàt¡ ‹³¢‹à¹à¹
Dolls have been customarily crafted by women from the potter communities. Apart from ÎìU [Ạ&¹ [>[¤Øl¡ ë™àKàì™àK ú ë³ìÒ¹KìØl¡¹ Aõ¡[È[®¡[v¡A¡ ή¡¸t¡à ë=ìA¡ [ÎÞêå¡ l¡üšt¡¸A¡à¹ >K¹Î®¡¸t¡à
fired clay dolls, statues of deities are also made from rice powder soaked in water. During ëš[¹ìÚ ¤à}ºà¹ >à>à Ñ‚àì> šøâ—t¡à[wA¡ l¡ü;J>> ¤à Òk¡à; "à[¤ÍHàì¹ šà*Úà ëšàØl¡à³à[i¡¹ [¤ìÅÈ ‹¹ì>¹
the festival of Kali Puja, the worship of Lakshmi-Alakshmi requires an unsightly model of >à¹ã³è[t¡¢ ™à¹ ">¸t¡³ l¡üƒàÒ¹o ú l¡ü¤¢¹t¡àìA¡[–ƒøA¡ ‹³¢‹à¹à¹ šøt¡ãA¡ &Òü >à¹ã³è[t¡¢ ™åìK¹ Îã³à "[t¡yû¡³
Alakshmi to be made from cow dung. Various figures of deities crafted by the painter-patuas A¡ì¹ "à\* γà>®¡àì¤ šø¤Ò³à> ú Ñ‚à>ãÚ Aå¡´±A¡à¹ γàì\¹ šø‹à>t¡ ³[Òºà [Å¿ã¹àÒü &샹 ¹ê¡šA¡à¹ ú
are also used in households during festivals. ëšàØl¡à³à[i¡¹ šåt塺 áàØl¡à* ¤à}ºà¹ [¤[®¡Ä ¤øìt¡ "àt¡šW¡à캹 P¡òìØl¡à \ìº [®¡[\ìÚ t¡à [ƒìÚ* A¡à[Tt¡ 냤-
Besides their religious importance, dolls have been made for children too. This is evident 냤㹠³è[t¡¢ KØl¡à ÒÚ ú A¡àºãšåì\๠[ƒ> ºÜã-"ºÜã šåì\à l¡üšºìÛ¡¸ ëKह [ƒìÚ ít¡[¹ ÒÚ A塃Ţ>à
from discoveries made from excavations in the Sindhu Valley. These fired clay dolls are the "ºÜã¹ šåt塺 ú ">¸[ƒìA¡ Aå¡´±A¡à¹ ¤à [W¡yA¡¹ - šiå¡Úà¹à ít¡[¹ A¡ì¹> >à>à 냤샤㹠³>åȸàAõ¡[t¡¹ "¤Ú¤
descendants of India's ancient terracotta art. Potter communities nestling around these
™à ¤¸¤Òê¡t¡ ÒÚ KõÒìÑ‚¹ ¤àì¹à ³àìÎ ët¡ì¹à šà¤¢ìo ú
excavation sites still manufacture such dolls.

In addition to clay, artisans also create colourful dolls made of wood, metal, sponge wood,
‹³¢ãÚ šøìÚà\ì> ¤¸¤Ò๠A¡¹à áàØl¡à* [Åǡ샹 ³ì>à¹gì>¹ \>¸* ¤×A¡àº "àìK ë=ìA¡Òü >à>à ‹¹ì>¹
palm leaf, jute, etc. Urbanization has slowed down the pace of doll-making, but it has not been šåt塺 ít¡[¹ Òt¡ ™à¹ [>ƒÅ¢> šà*Úà ™àÚ [ÎÞêå¡ l¡üšt¡¸A¡àÚ J>>A¡à왢 šà*Úà šøâ—¤ÑñP¡ìºà ë=ìA¡ ú ™à¹*
able to bring it to a halt. From fair-grounds to modern showrooms, the year-round bustle is &A¡i¡à ‹à¹à¤à[ÒA¡t¡à "à\* ¤à}ºà ÎÒ ®¡à¹t¡¤ìÈ¢¹ [¤[®¡Ä \àÚKàÚ ºÛ¡¸ A¡¹à ™àÚ ú ëšàØl¡à³à[i¡¹ &Òü
enough to warm the hearts of these artisans. Their meagre income might not be sufficient for ëJº>à-šåt塺P¡ìºà A¡àºàt¡ãt¡ ëi¡ì¹àìA¡ài¡à¹ - &A¡ ">>¸ [>ƒÅ¢> ú &ÒüΤ šøâ—ìÛ¡yP¡ìºà¹ A¡àáàA¡à[á
sustenance, but these craftsmen hold up to the art, out of sheer dedication and love. ¤Î¤àÎA¡à¹ã Aå¡´±A¡à¹ γ߃àÚ &A¡Òü ‹¹ì>¹ šåt塺 [>³¢ào A¡ì¹ =àìA¡> ú
¤UÎ}ÑHõþ[t¡¹ "³èº¸ ¹â—¹à[\ šåt塺 ú ³à[i¡ áàØl¡à A¡àk¡, ‹àtå¡, ëÅàºà, t¡àºšàt¡à, šài¡ Òüt¡¸à[ƒ >à>à l¡üšA¡¹o
[ƒìÚ [W¡y[¤[W¡y šåt塺 ít¡[¹ A¡ì¹> [Å¿ã¹à ú >K¹àÚìo¹ ó¡ìº t¡à샹 K[t¡ [A¡áåi¡à ¹ç¡‡ý¡ Òìº* ë=ì³ ™àÚ[>
&ìA¡¤àì¹ ú 볺๠³àk¡ ë=ìA¡ ÅÒì¹¹ "à‹å[>A¡ [¤š[oìt¡ ¹ìÚìá "à>àìKà>à ú Îà¹à ¤á¹ Nøàì³¹ ëJìi¡
Jà*Úà Îà‹à¹o ³à>åÈ ³ì>¹ "à>ì–ƒ &샹 ít¡[¹ A¡ì¹> ú Î}Îàì¹¹ ¤¸Ú ÒÚìt¡à [>¤¢àÒ ÒÚ >à, [A¡”ñ ë>Åà¹
"àA¡È¢ìoÒü ÒÚìt¡à &샹 ít¡[¹ A¡ì¹> ú

7 | The Dolls of Bengal

Clay Dolls ³à[i¡¹ šåt塺
The clay dolls of Bengal have great variety. Dolls made of soft clay and fired-clay are available [¤ÈÚ * í¤[W¡ìy¸ ¤à}ºà¹ ³à[i¡¹ šåt塺 Jå¤Òü t¡à;š™¢šèo¢ ú Aò¡àW¡à³à[i¡ * ëšàØl¡à³à[i¡ &Òü ƒå’‹¹ì>¹ šåt塺
all over West Bengal. Each of these dolls are made differently. First, a basic hand-pressed Îà¹à š[ÆW¡³¤U \åìØl¡Òü šà*Úà ™àÚ ú &Òü ƒå’‹¹ì>¹ šåtå¡ìº¹Òü [>³¢ào š‡ý¡[t¡ [®¡Ä [®¡Ä ®¡àì¤ ÒÚ ú šø=ì³
structure is made with loam. The hands are symbolic and the female parts more prominent. A¡àƒà³à[i¡¹ t¡àº ë=ìA¡ Òàìt¡ [i¡ìš šåtå¡ìº¹ &A¡i¡à "¤Ú¤ ít¡[¹ A¡ì¹ t¡àìt¡ ëáài¡ ³à[i¡¹ [i¡š  
The ornamentation is done with mud or straw. A few of the dolls have a bun on the top or [ƒìÚ ëW¡àìJ¹ ³[o A¡¹à ÒÚ ú &샹 Òàt¡ ÒÚ šøt¡ã[A¡ ú Ñ|ã "U šøA¡[i¡t¡ ú &¤} ³à[i¡ ¤à A¡à[k¡ [ƒìÚ ÒÚ "º}
back of the head. Most of the time, a number of kids are attached to the arms or all over the A¡¹o ú ëA¡à=à* ëA¡à=à* šåtå¡ìº¹ ëKàºàA¡à¹ ³à=àÚ [šáì> ¤à *šì¹ Wå¡ìØl¡à¹ ³ìt¡à ëJòàšà ë¤òì‹ ëƒ*Úà  
body. These dolls are locally named as Shasthi Dolls. These soft clay dolls are sun dried,
baked and painted in different hues. Azo dyes have replaced herbal colours but they still
ÒÚ ú "ì>A¡ Î³Ú &Òü šåt塺P¡ìºà¹ ƒå¤à× ¤à Îà¹à ëƒìÒ ¤àZáà "ài¡ìA¡ ëƒ*Úà ÒÚ ú Ñ‚à>ãÚ®¡àì¤ &P¡ìºà¹
retain their folk look. Human figures, birds and animals are the primary themes along with a >à³ ÈË¡ã šåt塺 ú Aò¡àW¡à³à[i¡¹ &Òü šåt塺P¡ìºà ë¹àìƒ Îà³à>¸ Ç¡[A¡ìÚ t¡à¹ *š¹ ºàKàì>à ÒÚ ¤>A¡ ¹} ú
variety of elephants and horses. &¹š¹ ®¡à[i¡ìt¡ ëšàØl¡àì>à ÒÚ ú &Òü®¡àì¤ ëšàØl¡àì>๠š¹ >à>à ¹} [ƒìÚ šåt塺[i¡ìA¡ ¹àR¡àì>à ÒÚ ú &A¡A¡àìº
Traditionally, potters have used the wheel and the firing kiln to make dolls, like the potters
뮡È\ ¹} ¤¸¤Òê¡t¡ Òìº* ¤t¡¢³àì> ¤à\à[¹ ¹ìR¡¹ W¡à[Òƒà ¤õ[‡ý¡ šàìZá ú ³>åȸàAõ¡[t¡ áàØl¡à* šÇ¡šà[J [¤ìÅÈ
from Kanthalia (Murshidabad), Kunoor (North Dinajpur), Panchmura (Bankura), and A¡ì¹ >à>à ‹¹ì>¹ Òà[t¡ * ëQàØl¡à [>³¢ào A¡¹à ÒÚ ú
Sandra in Rajgram. With the advent of technology and changing lifestyles, doll making is also ³à>åìȹ \ã¤>™àš> š‡ý¡[t¡¹ š[¹¤t¡¢ì>¹ ÎìU ÎìU ¤à ">¸®¡àì¤ ¤ºìt¡ ëKìº šø™å[v¡û¡Kt¡ [¤ƒ¸à
undergoing changes. Moulds have replaced the use of the potter's wheel because it speeds up
the process. The body is shaped in the mould and the hands and legs are joined to it later. The
"àÚv¡A¡¹ìo¹ ó¡ìº &Òü šåt塺 [>³¢ào š‡ý¡[t¡ìt¡* š[¹¤t¡¢> ÒìÚìá ú Aò¡àW¡à³à[i¡¹ šåt塺 ë=ìA¡ t¡àìA¡ Ñ‚àÚã¹ê¡š
dolls of Jhulan and the ones for the Janmasthami festival are all made this way. Two-faced ëƒ*Ú๠\>¸ 뙳> ëšàØl¡àì>๠š‡ý¡[t¡ "à[¤ÍHõt¡ ÒìÚìá, ët¡³[> "à[¤ÑH๠ÒìÚìá W¡àìA¡¹ ú &Òü W¡àìA¡¹
moulds are used to make Queen or Fairy dolls in many areas of Howrah. Dolls representing ÎàÒà외 뙳> Î}Îàì¹¹ íƒ>[–ƒ> ¤¸¤Òà™¢ ¤Ññ [>³¢ào A¡¹à ÒÚ, ët¡³[> šåt塺 [>³¢àìo* &Òü W¡àA¡ìA¡ A¡àì\
deities are also manufactured with such moulds. The painter-patua community also make ºàKàì>à ÒìÚìá ú šåtå¡ìº¹ ëƒìÒ¹ "}Å[i¡ W¡àìA¡ KìØl¡ [>ìÚ t¡à¹ Òàt¡, ëW¡àJ, >àA¡, ³åJ Òüt¡¸à[ƒ Òàìt¡¹
clay dolls. ÎàÒà외 ít¡[¹ A¡¹ìt¡ Ç¡¹ç¡ A¡ì¹> [Å¿ã¹à ú &Òü®¡àì¤ ³å[Å¢ƒà¤àƒ ë\ºà¹ Aò¡àk¡à[ºÚà, l¡üv¡¹ [ƒ>à\šåì¹¹ Aå¡>å¹,
¤àòAå¡Øl¡à ë\ºà¹ šòàW¡³åØl¡à, Î¸à–ƒØl¡à, ¹à\Nøà³ Òüt¡¸à[ƒ "e¡ìº¹ Aå¡´±A¡à¹¹à [¤[W¡y Τ šåt塺 ít¡[¹ A¡ì¹> ú
Aò¡àW¡à³à[i¡ ¤à ëšàØl¡à³à[i¡¹ Òà[t¡, ëQàØl¡à, ÈË¡ãšåt塺, iå¡Îå, ®¡àƒå, >à>à 냤샤㹠³è[t¡¢ ³à>t¡ šè¹o ¤à ">¸à>¸
‹³¢ãÚ šøìÚà\ì>Òü šø‹à>t¡ ¤¸¤Ò๠A¡¹à ÒÚ ú
γìÚ¹ ÎìU ÎìU &ìÎìá áòàìW¡¹ ¤¸¤Ò๠ú &¹ ó¡ìº "¿ γìÚ ë¤[Å A¡ì¹ šåt塺 ít¡[¹ A¡¹à ™àÚ ú áòàìW¡¹
³à‹¸ì³ ëƒìÒ¹ "àƒº[i¡ KìØl¡ [>ìÚ ¤à[A¡ "}Å Òàt¡ [ƒìÚ ít¡[¹ A¡ì¹> [Å¿ã ú Aå¡´±A¡à¹ š[¹¤àì¹¹ ³[Òºà¹àÒü
&Òü áòàìW¡¹ ëáài¡ ëáài¡ ¤à ³àc¡à[¹ ÎàÒüì\¹ šåt塺 ít¡[¹ A¡ì¹> ú c塺> ¤à \–µàÊ¡³ã¹ ë™Î¤ šåt塺 šà*Úà
™àÚ t¡à &Òü š‡ý¡[t¡ìt¡Òü ít¡[¹ A¡¹à ÒÚ ú Òà*Øl¡à ë\ºà¹ [¤[®¡Ä "e¡ìº ƒåìJຠáòàìW¡ ít¡[¹ ÒÚ ¹à[> šåt塺 ¤à
š[¹ šåt塺 ú & áàØl¡à [¤[®¡Ä 냤샤㹠³è[t¡¢* &Òü áòàìW¡¹ ³à‹¸ì³ ít¡[¹ ÒÚ ú Aå¡´±A¡à¹ áàØl¡à* [W¡yA¡¹-šiå¡Úà
δ߃àìÚ¹ ³à>åÈ &Òü ³à[i¡¹ šåt塺 ít¡[¹ A¡ì¹> ú
Dolls of Jhulan, Terracotta Dolls,
North 24 Parganas Panchmura
These dolls were earlier manufactured in the Kumortuli Bankura’s Panchmura earned its fame through
and Potuapara areas of Kalighat, Kolkata. Though the fired-clay models of horses and elephants.
not much in demand now, they are still made by the It was meant to be used during making-wish-
female members of potter families living in Ultadanga’s ceremonies, but nowadays it has become an
Dakshin Dari, Nimta, Kumortuli and nearby areas. item for interior decoration. For logistical
After an initial shape is made in moulds, these dolls are purposes, the parts of the dolls, including
given a beautiful hand-pressed finish and then painted. the ears and tails, are detachable. They are
Everyday characters and scenes like the balloon-seller, extensively decorated to attract customers.
postman, policeman, soldier, ice cream seller, park,
Apart from the horse and the elephant,
kitchen, fetching water from the tube-well go hand in
the traditional Shasthi dolls, Rail dolls,
hand with mythological themes like Taraka killing,
Manasaghat, Manasachali, Bonga dolls are also
Ravana, Radha-Krishna, Shiva-Parvati, etc. The range
part of the dolls from Panchmura. Artisans
of Jhulan dolls by Arati Pal, from Belgharia’s Nimta is
periodically introduce new models.
worth mentioning in this context.

c塺ì>¹ šåt塺,   ëi¡¹àìA¡ài¡à¹ šåt塺,

l¡üv¡¹ 24 š¹Koà šòàW¡³åØl¡à
¤òàAå¡Øl¡à¹ šòàW¡³åØl¡à¹ J¸à[t¡ ëšàØl¡à³à[i¡¹ Òà[t¡-ëQàØl¡à¹
A¡ºA¡àt¡à¹ Aå¡ì³à¹iå¡[º, A¡àºãQàìi¡¹ šiå¡Úà šàØl¡à * "àÅšàìŹ \>¸ ú &A¡Î³Ú ³à>ìt¡¹ \>¸ &P¡[º ít¡[¹ Òìº*
"e¡ìº &A¡Î³Ú &Òü šåt塺 "ì>A¡ ít¡[¹ Òt¡ ú ¤t¡¢³àì> ¤t¡¢³àì> Q¹ Îà\àì>๠\>¸Òü ¤¸¤Òê¡t¡ ÒÚ ú &Òü
&¹ W¡à[Òƒà A¡ì³ &ìº* l¡üìÂi¡àl¡àR¡à¹ ƒ[Û¡oƒòà[Øl¡, [>³t¡à, Òà[t¡ìQàØl¡à [¤š>ìo¹ Îå[¤‹à¹ \>¸ [>ì¹i¡ A¡¹à ÒÚ >àú
Aå¡ì³à¹iå¡[º Òüt¡¸à[ƒ \àÚKàÚ Aå¡´±A¡à¹ š[¹¤àì¹¹ ³[Òºà¹àÒü &Òü &샹 A¡à> * ëº\P¡ìºà* šì¹ "àºàƒà®¡àì¤ ºàKà¤à¹
šåt塺 [>³¢ào A¡ì¹ =àìA¡> ú &ÒüΤ šåtå¡ìº¹ "àAõ¡[t¡ Jå¤ &A¡i¡à ¤¸¤Ñ‚à "àìá ú ³à>åìȹ ƒõ[Ê¡ "àA¡È¢ìo¹ \>¸ &P¡[ºìA¡
¤Øl¡ ÒÚ >à ú šøà=[³A¡®¡àì¤ áòàìW¡ ít¡[¹¹ š¹ Òàìt¡¹ ëA¡ïÅìº "t¡¸à[‹A¡ "º}A¡¹o A¡¹à ÒÚ ú
&ìA¡ Îå–ƒ¹®¡àì¤ ¹ê¡šƒà> A¡¹à ÒÚ ú ëÅìÈ ëƒ*Úà ÒÚ ¹ìR¡¹
šø캚 ú íƒ>[–ƒ> \ã¤ì>¹ >à>à ƒõŸ 뙳> "àÒüÎ[yû¡³*Úàºà, Òà[t¡-ëQàØl¡à¹ šàÅàšà[Å šòàW¡³åØl¡àÚ Îàì¤[A¡ ÈË¡ã šååt塺,
뤺å>*Úàºà, l¡àA¡[š*>, šå[ºÅ, íÎ[>A¡, šàìA¢¡¹ ƒõŸ, 빺 šåt塺, ³>ÎàQi¡, ³>ÎàW¡à[º, ë¤àR¡à šåt塺 Òüt¡¸à[ƒ
¹àÄàQ¹, [i¡l¡ü¤*ìÚº ë=ìA¡ \º ë>*Úà Òüt¡¸à[ƒ¹ šàÅàšà[Å ít¡[¹ ÒÚ ú & áàØl¡à Òüƒà>ã} >à>à "à‹å[>A¡ ³ìl¡º*
t¡àØl¡A¡à¤‹, ¹à¤o, ¹à‹àAõ¡Ì¡, [Ť-šà¤¢t¡ã¹ ³ìt¡à ëšï¹à[oA¡ [Å¿ã¹à ít¡[¹ A¡¹ìá> ú
W¡[¹y* ít¡[¹ ÒÚ ú 뤺Q[Øl¡Ú๠[>³t¡à¹ "à¹[t¡ šà캹
c塺ì>¹ šåt塺P¡ìºà & šøÎìU [¤ìÅÈ l¡üìÀJìÚàK¸ ú

9 | The Dolls of Bengal

 Dolls of Jhulan, Kalighat
During the 19th century, the Patuas (scroll painters) began migrating to the
Kalighat area in Kolkata for a better livelihood. Apart from the famous Kalighat
patachitra, the female members of the regional chitrakar (painter) families
made tiny and colourful soft clay dolls. Though they are not available round the
year, these clay dolls of various shapes are quite common during the festivals of
Janamasthami and Jhulan. Mythological themes and characters like the killing
of Kansa, Krishnaleela, the death of Bakasura, Yashodha and Krishna along with
contemporary characters such as the balloon seller, phuchka seller and soldiers
are made too. These dolls are made by Badan Pal and the women of his family.

c塺ì>¹ šåt塺, A¡àºãQài¡

l¡ü[>Å Åt¡A¡ ë=ìA¡ A¡ºA¡àt¡à¹ A¡àºãQài¡ "e¡ìº šiå¡Úà샹 ¤Î[t¡ KìØl¡ *ìk¡ ú A¡àºãQàìi¡¹
[¤J¸àt¡ ši¡[W¡y áàØl¡à* &Òü "e¡ìº [W¡yA¡¹ š[¹¤àì¹¹ ³[Òºà¹à ëáàìi¡à ëáàìi¡à Aò¡àW¡à³à[i¡¹
¹[R¡> šåt塺 ít¡[¹ A¡¹ìt¡> ú ¤t¡¢³àì> Îà¹à¤á¹ &Òü šåt塺 >à šà*Úà ëKìº* c塺> "à¹
\–µàÊ¡³ã l¡üšºìÛ¡¸ &J>* >à>à‹¹ì>¹ áòàìW¡ ít¡[¹ ³à[i¡¹ šåt塺 ÒÚ ú ëšï¹à[oA¡ >à>à
W¡[¹y 뙳> A¡}Τ‹, Aõ¡Ì¡ºãºà, ¤àÎåA¡ã, ¤A¡àÎå¹ ¤‹, ™ìÅà‹à * Aõ¡Ì¡ Òüt¡¸à[ƒ¹ šàÅàšà[Å
뤺å>*Úàºà, óå¡W¡A¡à*Úàºà, íÎ[>A¡ šø®õ¡[t¡ >à>à šåt塺 ít¡[¹ ÒÚ ú šåt塺P¡[º¹ [>³¢àt¡à ¤ƒ>
šàº * t¡à¹ š[¹¤àì¹¹ ³[Òºà [Å¿ã¹à ú

The Dolls of Bengal | 10

Hingul Dolls, Bishnupur
Hingli dolls are named after ‘Hingul’, a particular kind of red tint in which
these dolls are painted. They are exclusively made by women belonging to the
family of Shital Faujdar, an artist from Bankura’s Bishnupur, specializing in
Dasavatar cards and Durgapata. These finger-sized dolls made from soft clay are
interesting to look at. Dressed in frocks, some of these dolls also wear a cap. The
soft clay dolls are sun-dried and dyed with herbal colours. They are mostly sold
during the Durga Puja, Jitasthami and Tusu festivals.

[ÒUåº ¤à [ÒR塺 šåt塺, [¤Ìå¡šå¹

[ÒUåº Òº &A¡ [¤ìÅÈ ‹¹ì>¹ ºàº ¹} ú šåt塺P¡ìºà [ÒUåº ¹ìR¡ ¹àR¡àì>à ÒÚ ¤ìº &¹ >à³
[ÒUåº šåt塺 ú ¤òàAå¡Øl¡à ë\ºà¹ [¤Ìå¡šåì¹¹ ƒÅà¤t¡à¹ t¡àÎ * ƒåK¢àšìi¡¹ [Å¿ã Åãt¡º  
ëó¡ï\ƒàì¹¹ š[¹¤àì¹¹ ³[Òºà¹à &Òü šåt塺[i¡ ít¡[¹ A¡ì¹> ú &A¡ "àR塺 γà> Û塉àAõ¡[t¡¹
Aò¡àW¡à³à[i¡¹ [ÒUåº šåt塺P¡ìºà ëƒJìt¡ Jå¤Òü Îå–ƒ¹ ú >à>à ¹}-&¹ óø¡A¡ š¹à &Òü šåt塺ì¹
A¡àì¹à ³à=à

11 | The Dolls of Bengal

 Jo Dolls, Medinipur
The womenfolk of the patua-painter community make these unique clay dolls.
The mother and child duo is one remarkable specimen in a series of colourful
hand-pressed dolls. The art is confined among the women patuas of East and
West Midnapore. The figure is carved from soft clay. The model is then sundried
and fired. Finally the dolls are painted with home-made herbal colours. Ready-
made chemical colours are also used these days. The distinctiveness of these
dolls lies in the primitive look which is quite evident in the face of the mother
doll that resembles the Garuda (aagle). Phooljaan Chitrakar of West Midnapore
district is an accomplished creator of these dolls.

ë\à šåt塺, ë³[ƒ>ãšå¹

šiå¡Úà-[W¡yA¡¹ š[¹¤àì¹¹ ³[Òºà¹à &Òü [¤ìÅÈ ‹¹ì>¹ ³à[i¡¹ šåt塺 ít¡[¹ A¡ì¹> ú Òàìt¡
ëi¡šà ¤×¤ìo¢¹ &Òü šåt塺P¡ìºà¹ ³ì‹¸ l¡üìÀJì™àK¸ Òº ³à * ëáìº ú ¤t¡¢³àì> šè¤¢ *
š[ÆW¡³ ë³[ƒ>ãšåì¹¹ šiå¡Úà ³[Òºà¹àÒü &Òü ë\à šåt塺 [>³¢ào A¡ì¹> ú &A¡J“¡ A¡àƒà³[i¡¹ t¡àº
ë=ìA¡ ³à[i¡¹ "¤Ú¤[i¡ KìØl¡ ë¹àìƒ Ç¡[A¡ìÚ [>ìÚ ëšàØl¡àì>à ÒÚ ú &¹š¹ 뮡È\ ¹} [ƒìÚ
šåt塺[i¡ìA¡ ¹àR¡àì>à ÒÚ ú ¤t¡¢³àì> "¤Å¸ ¤à\à[¹ ¹R¡* ¤¸¤Òê¡t¡ ÒìZá ú ë\à šåtå¡ìº¹ ³àìÚ¹
³åJ[i¡¹ KØl¡> "ì>A¡i¡à ëKàØl¡æ¹ šà[J¹ ³ìt¡à "=¢à; &A¡ ‹¹ì>¹ "à[ƒ³t¡à¹ ‹à¹à &Òü šåtå¡ìº
[¤ìÅÈ®¡àì¤ ºÛ¡¸ A¡¹à ™àÚ ú š[ÆW¡³ ë³[ƒ>ãšå¹ ë\ºà¹ ëKàºNøàì³¹ ¤à[Ζƒà ó塺\à> [W¡yA¡¹
&Òü ë\à šåt塺P¡[º¹ [Å¿ã ú

The Dolls of Bengal | 12

Kanthalia Dolls, Murshidabad
The potter community of Kanthalia in Murshidabad create a special kind of dolls
where mundane household situations are depicted. A woman pounding pulse in
a grindstone, a lady tying up her companion’s hair, a milkmaid, an oil massage
given to a baby, horsemen and elephants – these are all popular themes of
Kanthalia dolls. First, a model is made by hand and then sweltered. Next a layer
of mica and chalk dust is smeared on it. The facial features and decorations are
done with red and black colours. These dolls stand out for their striped designs.
Sadhan Pal with his family are the only craftsman making Kanthalia Dolls.

Aò¡àk¡à[ºÚ๠šåt塺, ³å[Å¢ƒà¤àƒ

³å[Å¢ƒà¤àƒ ë\ºà¹ Aò¡àk¡à[ºÚ๠Aå¡´±A¡à¹ δ߃àÚ &A¡ [¤ìÅÈ ‹¹ì>¹ šåt塺 ít¡[¹ A¡ì¹> ú
íƒ>[–ƒ> Nøà³ão \ã¤ì>¹ "–ƒ¹³Ò캹 ƒõŸÒü &ÒüΤ šåtå¡ìº¹ ³à‹¸ì³ tå¡ìº ‹¹à ÒÚ ú 뙳>
\òàt¡à ëšÅàÒü¹t¡ ³[Òºà, ën¡ò[A¡ìt¡ ‹à> ®¡à>à, ƒå’\> ³[Һ๠W塺 ¤òà‹à, KÚºà[>, [ÅÇ¡ìA¡
ët¡º ³à[ºÅ A¡¹à Òüt¡¸à[ƒ ú &¹ ÎìU Òà[t¡ ¤à ëQàØl¡à¹ [šìk¡ W¡Øl¡à ³à>åÈ šø®õ¡[t¡* ëƒJà ™àÚ ú
³èºt¡ Òàìt¡ &¤} W¡àìA¡ &ÒüΤ šåtå¡ìº¹ šøà=[³A¡ "¤Ú¤ KìØl¡ ë>*Úà ÒÚ ú ëšàØl¡àì>๠š¹
J[Øl¡³à[i¡¹ ÎìU "° [³[ÅìÚ šåtå¡ìº¹ Îà¹à KàìÚ t¡à¹ šø캚 ëƒ*Úà ÒÚ ú ºàº * A¡àìºà ¹}
[ƒìÚ šåtå¡ìº¹ ëW¡àJ, >àA¡, ³åJ ÎÒ "º}A¡¹o A¡¹à ÒÚ ú ël¡à¹àA¡ài¡à "º}A¡¹o &Òü šåtå¡ìº¹
[¤ìÅÈ í¤[ÈÊ¡¸ ú Îà‹> šàº * t¡ò๠š[¹¤àì¹¹ ΃θ¹àÒü ¤t¡¢³àì> &Òü šåt塺P¡ìºà ít¡[¹
A¡ì¹> ú

13 | The Dolls of Bengal

 Queen Nodding Dolls,
Dolls, North 24
Howrah Parganas
Once upon a time, the These dolls, made from soft or fired
Queen dolls of Howrah clay, have the heads and other body
were immensely popular. parts attached with the help of springs.
The structure is prepared The commonest of these figures is that
in a two-faced mould and of an old man with a beard, smoking a
then fired. These dolls do cigarette. In a few cases, the cigarette
not have legs and are clad is substituted with a hookah. These
in a ghaghra (long skirts). nodding dolls, widely available in the
The curls on the head are fairs, can be both small and big in
crowned at times. Some of size. These head-wiggling dolls are
these dolls are coloured with designed by Arati Pal.
red paint mixed with mica.

¹à[> šåt塺, QàØl¡ >àØl¡à šåt塺,

Òà*Øl¡à l¡üv¡¹ 24 š¹Koà
Aò¡àW¡à³à[i¡ ¤à ëšàØl¡à³à[i¡¹ ít¡[¹ &Òü šåtå¡ìº¹
Òà*Øl¡à ë\ºàÚ & šåtå¡ìº¹
³à=à * ëƒìÒ¹ ¤à[A¡ "}Å [Ñß} [ƒìÚ  
W¡º &A¡Î³Ú Jå¤ ë¤[Å [Ạú
ë\àØl¡à ÒÚ ú &샹 Òàt¡ * šà ƒå’[i¡ =àìA¡
ƒå’ìJຠáòàìW¡ šåt塺[i¡¹ "¤Ú¤
Źãì¹¹ ÎìU ºàKàì>à ú Îà‹à¹ot¡ &Òü
KìØl¡ [>ìÚ ëšàØl¡àì>à ÒÚ ú &Òü
šåt塺[i¡ [ÎKàì¹i¡ ³åìJ ë>*Úà ƒà[Øl¡*Úàºà
šåt塺[i¡¹ šà =àìA¡ >à ú ëA¡à³¹
¤åìØl¡à ³à>åìȹ šø[t¡Aõ¡[tØ¡¡ú "ì>A¡ Î³Ú ×òìA¡à
ë=ìA¡ ¤à[A¡ "}Å =àìA¡ QàQØl¡à
ëΤ>¹t¡ ¤åìØl¡à* [Å¿ã¹à ít¡[¹ A¡ì¹>ú &Òü
n¡àA¡à ú ³à=àÚ ëAò¡àW¡A¡àì>à W塺 ú
šåt塺 ëáài¡ &¤} ¤Øl¡ ƒå’‹¹ì>¹ ÒÚ ú QàØl¡
ëA¡à=à* "à¤à¹ ³åAå¡i¡* š¹àì>à
>àØl¡à &Òü šåt塺P¡ìºà "[‹A¡à}Š볺àÚ
ÒÚ ú & šåtå¡ìº¹ KàìÚ ëA¡l¡ü
ëƒJìt¡ šà*Úà ™àÚ ú &Òü šåt塺[i¡¹ [>³¢àt¡à
ëA¡l¡ü "° ë³Åþàì>à ºàº ¹R¡*
"à¹[t¡ šàº ú
[ƒìÚ =àìA¡> ú &Òü šåtå¡ìº¹
[Å¿ã [ƒ¤àA¡¹ šàº ú

The Dolls of Bengal | 14

Sasthi Dolls, Coonoor
The clay dolls of Kunoor in North Dinajpur are one of their kind! These red,
hand-pressed crude dolls made of terracotta (fired clay), are mostly figures of
the mother and son. Though the locals prefer to classify them as ‘Shasthi Dolls’,
they differ from their counterparts made in other parts of West Bengal. The
mother here symbolizes a worker, carrying a basket on her head and the son in
her lap. A few dolls have the kids on their backs, similar to the women working
in tea gardens. These dolls are made by Malati Roy.

ÈË¡ã šåt塺, Aå¡>å¹

l¡üv¡¹ [ƒ>à\šå¹ ë\ºà¹ Aå¡>åì¹¹ ³à[i¡¹ šåt塺P¡ìºà [¤ìÅÈ í¤[ÅÊ¡¸šèo¢ ú ºàº¤ìo¢¹
"à[ƒ³t¡à¹ ‹à¹à ™åv¡û¡ ëšàØl¡à³à[i¡¹ Òàìt¡ ëi¡šà &Òü šåtå¡ìº¹ ë¤[Ź®¡àKi¡àÒü Òº ³à
* ëáìº ú Ñ‚à>ãÚ®¡àì¤ &샹 ÈË¡ãšåt塺 ¤ºà Òìº* š[ÆW¡³¤ìU¹ ">¸à>¸ "e¡ìº¹
ÈË¡ãšåtå¡ìº¹ ÎìU &¹ šà=¢A¡¸ ¹ìÚìá ú &Òü šåtå¡ìº¹ ³à ë™> Åø³\ã[¤¹ ³[Һ๠ 
šø[t¡¹ê¡š ú ëA¡àìº ëáìº =àA¡ìº* t¡à¹ ³à=àÚ =àìA¡ c¡òàA¡à ú "à¤à¹ "ì>A¡ Î³Ú ³àìÚ¹
[šìk¡ ëáìº ¤òà‹à =àìA¡ [k¡A¡ 뙳>[i¡ ëƒJà ™àÚ W¡à ¤àKàì> A¡³¢¹t¡ ³[Òºà샹 ëÛ¡ìy ú
&Òü šåtå¡ìº¹ [Å¿ã ³àºt¡ã ¹àÚ ú

15 | The Dolls of Bengal

 Magic Lamp, Coonoor
These beautiful kerosene lamps come in the shape of a horse or elephant, fish,
peacock, tortoise, etc. The structure of the lamp prevents the oil from flowing
out. The wick is held in the mouth of the doll. The dolls are intricately painted.
The modern day artisans of Kunoor are coming up with contemporary utility
items like pen stands in the shape of Ganesha. These dolls are manufactured by
Shambhu Roy.

"àÆW¡™¢¸ šøƒãš, Aå¡>å¹

Aå¡>åì¹¹ [Å¿ã¹à "๠&A¡[i¡ [¤ìÅÈ šåt塺 ít¡[¹ A¡ì¹> &¹ >à³ ³¸à[\A¡ º¸à´š("àÆW¡™¢¸
šøƒãš) ú ³àá, Òà[t¡, ³Úè¹, A¡Záš Òüt¡¸à[ƒ >à>à \ã¤\”ñ¹ "àAõ¡[t¡¹ &Òü šåt塺[i¡ "àƒìt¡
ëA¡ì¹à[Îì>¹ ¤à[t¡ƒà> ú šåt塺P¡ìºà¹ >ãìW¡¹ [በ[ƒìÚ ët¡º n¡àºà Òìº* [>³¢ào š‡ý¡[t¡¹
\>¸ ëÎ ët¡º "๠¤àÒüì¹ ë¤¹ Òìt¡ šàì¹ >à ú šåtå¡ìº¹ ³åìJ¹ A¡àìá¹ [á‰[i¡ìt¡ κìt¡
ëƒ*Ú๠\àÚKà ú &Òü šåt塺P¡ìºà¹ "º}A¡¹o "t¡¸”z [Å¿ Îåȳà³[r¡t¡ ú Îà´ß[t¡A¡A¡àìº
íƒ>[–ƒ> ¤¸¤Òàì¹¹ \>¸ Aå¡>åì¹¹ [Å¿ã¹à KìoìŹ ëš>ƒà[> Òüt¡¸à[ƒ ít¡[¹ A¡¹ìá> ú &Òü
šåtå¡ìº¹ [Å¿ã Å´±å ¹àÚ ú

The Dolls of Bengal | 16

Clay Dolls, Joynagar-Majilpur
A special variety of coloured, fired-clay dolls are manufactured in the regions of
Joynagar-Majilpur of South 24 Parganas. At present, Shambhu Das, grandson of
artist Manmath Das, is the sole representative of this genre of doll making. The
range of characters depicted includes local deities like Ban Bibi, Bara Thakur,
Dakshin Roy alongside Ahlad-Ahladi, girl with a pitcher on the waist, etc.

³à[i¡¹ šåt塺, \Ú>K¹-³[\ºšå¹

ƒ[Û¡o 24 š¹K>๠\Ú>K¹-³[\ºšåì¹ [¤ìÅÈ ‹¹ì>¹ ëšàØl¡à³à[i¡¹ ¹[R¡> šåt塺 ít¡[¹  
ÒÚ ú [Å¿ã ³–µ= ƒàìι ëšïy Å´±å ƒàÎ ¤t¡¢³àì> &Òü Q¹à>๠&A¡³ày [Å¿ã ú Ñ‚à>ãÚ ëºï[A¡A¡
냤샤㠤>[¤[¤, ¤à¹à k¡àA塹, ƒ[Û¡o ¹àìÚ¹ šàÅàšà[Å "àÓàƒ "àÓàƒã, A¡º[Å Aò¡àì‹ ë³ìÚ
šø®õ¡[t¡ >à>à ‹¹ì>¹ šåt塺 &ÒüJàì> ít¡[¹ ÒÚ ú

17 | The Dolls of Bengal

 Wheeled Dolls, Haroa & Howrah
Haroa in North 24 Pargana’s is where these eye-catching wheeled dolls are
made. The toys made here primarily include the fired-clay wheeled bullock-
carts, cars, boats, horsemen, etc. Shathi dolls and horse-elephants for make-
a-wish ceremonies are also made. The simple color scheme is soothing to the
eyes. The dolls are given a coat of chalk dust before being painted in stripes
of red, yellow and blue. A few such wheeled dolls have been discovered from
the excavation sites of Berachapa-Chandraketugarh. These dolls are made by
Tarubala Pal.

Wheeled boats and palanquins are also made in the Jagatballabhpur region
of Howrah by women belonging to the potter community. These dolls are also
baked and coated with chalk dust before being dyed in red, green, blue and
yellow. The manufacturer of the dolls at Howrah is Prabir Pal.

W¡àA¡à ºàKàì>à šåt塺,  

ÒàìØl¡àÚà &¤} Òà*Øl¡à
l¡üv¡¹ 24 š¹K>๠ÒàìØl¡àÚà >\¹A¡àØl¡à W¡àA¡à ºàKàì>à šåtå¡ìº¹ l¡üìÀJìÚàK¸ ëA¡–ƒø ú &Jàì>
³èºt¡ W¡àA¡à ºàKàì>à ëšàØl¡à³à[i¡¹ ëKà¹ç¡¹ Kà[Øl¡, ³i¡¹Kà[Øl¡, ë>ïA¡à, ëQàØl¡Î*Ú๠&³> >à>à
"àA¡È¢oãÚ šåt塺 [>³¢ào A¡¹à ÒÚ ú &¹ šàÅàšà[Å ít¡[¹ ÒÚ ³à>ìt¡¹ Òà[t¡ìQàØl¡à, ÈË¡ã šåt塺
Òüt¡¸à[ƒ ú &Òü šåtå¡ìº¹ ¹} Jå¤ Îàƒà³ài¡à Òìº* t¡à ë¤Å [W¡v¡àA¡È¢A¡ ú Îà‹à¹ot¡ J[Øl¡³à[i¡¹
šø캚 [ƒìÚ t¡à¹ *š¹ ºàº, Òºåƒ, >㺠¹} [ƒìÚ ël¡à¹àA¡ài¡à "º}A¡¹o A¡¹à  
ÒÚ ú ë¤Øl¡àWò¡àšà-W¡–ƒøìA¡tå¡KìØl¡ šøâ—t¡à[wA¡ J>>A¡à왢 ë¤Å [A¡áå W¡àA¡à ºàKàì>à šåt塺 "à[¤ÍHà¹
ÒìÚìá ú &Òü[ƒA¡ ë=ìA¡ ¤ºìt¡ ëKìº &ÒüΤ šåt塺P¡ìºàìA¡ A¡àºàt¡ãt¡ ëi¡¹àìA¡ài¡à [ÒìÎì¤
Ko¸ A¡¹à ë™ìt¡ šàì¹ú šåt塺P¡[º¹ [Å¿ã t¡¹ç¡¤àºà šàº ú
Òà*Øl¡à¹ \Kƒ¤À®¡šå¹ "e¡ìº* W¡àA¡à ºàKàì>à ë>ïA¡à, šàº[A¡ Òüt¡¸à[ƒ ít¡[¹ ÒÚ ú Aå¡´±A¡à¹
š[¹¤àì¹¹ ³[Òºà¹àÒü &P¡ìºà A¡ì¹> ú &P¡ìºà* ëšàØl¡àì>๠š¹ J[Øl¡³à[i¡¹ šø캚 ºà[KìÚ
t¡à¹ *š¹ ºàº, Τå\, >ãº, Òºåƒ ¹} [ƒìÚ "º}A¡¹o A¡¹à ÒÚ ú Òà*Øl¡à¹ šåtå¡ìº¹ [Å¿ã
šø¤ã¹ šàº ú

The Dolls of Bengal | 18

Tusu Dolls, Bankura
The Tusu festival is celebrated during Poush Sankranti, in the border districts of
Bankura and Purulia in West Bengal. Throughout the month, women pray to the
Goddess Tusu all night long. The immersion of the Tusu takes place in the early
hours during Makar or Poush months. Clay statues of Tusu have been common for
a very long time. These statues resemble the bridal dolls of Natungram. Tusu dolls
are decorated with colourful paper. Modern figurines are also made. The Tusu
dolls are made by Bholanath Sutradhar

iå¡Îå šåt塺, ¤òàAå¡Øl¡à

š[ÆW¡³¤ìU¹ Îã³à”z¤t¡¢ã ë\ºà ¤òàAå¡Øl¡à, šå¹ç¡[ºÚàÚ ëšïÈÎ}yû¡à[”zìt¡ iå¡Îå š¹¤ ÒÚ ú &A¡ ³àÎ
¤¸àšã ë³ìÚ¹à ¹àìt¡¹ 뤺àÚ Åθšèo¢ iå¡Îå ëJàºàÚ šøƒãš aà[ºìÚ šåì\à A¡ì¹ ú Kà>Òü &  
šåì\๠³”| ú ³A¡¹ ¤à ëšïÈ Î}yû¡à[”zìt¡ A¡àA¡ì®¡àì¹ ÒÚ iå¡Îå ®¡àÎà> ú šøt¡ã[A¡ iå¡Îå ëJàºà¹
ÎìU ÎìU ³à[i¡¹ iå¡Îå ³è[t¡¢* ít¡[¹ ÒÚ ú iå¡Îå ³è[t¡¢¹ "àƒº "ì>A¡i¡à >tå¡> Nøàì³¹ ¤l¡üšåtå¡ìº¹  
³ìt¡à ú &ìt¡ ¹[R¡> A¡àKì\¹ "º}A¡¹o A¡¹à ÒÚ ú ¤t¡¢³àì> "ì>A¡ "à‹å[>A¡ ³è[t¡¢* ít¡[¹
ÒìZá ú &Òü šåtå¡ìº¹ [Å¿ã¹ >ೠ뮡àºà>à= Îèy‹¹ ¡ú

19 | The Dolls of Bengal

 Clay Dolls,
Krishnanagar
The potters of Ghurni region in Nadia’s
Krishnanagar have earned international fame
from these life-like dolls. The community changed
from making traditional dolls to this kind because
of royal patronage. These are far more expensive
than ordinary clay dolls. The baul couple, farmer,
blacksmith, vegetable seller, tribal couple and
tanner are a few in a lengthy list of such realistic
dolls. Recently, the artisan community here has
started to experiment with their art form. Their
fancy home décor items best exemplify this. These
dolls are made by Pranab Biswas

³à[i¡¹ šåt塺, Aõ¡Ì¡>K¹

>[ƒÚà ë\ºà¹ Aõ¡Ì¡>Kì¹ Qèo¢ã "e¡ìº¹ Aå¡´±A¡à¹
δ߃àÚ ¤àÑzþ¤Î´¶t¡ šåt塺 [>³¢àìo¹ \>¸ [¤J¸àt¡
ú ¹à\à>åNøìÒ &ò¹à šø=àKt¡ šåt塺 [>³¢ào ë=ìA¡ Îì¹
&ìÎ &Òü >tå¡> ‹à¹à¹ šåt塺 [>³¢ào Îå¹ç¡  
A¡ì¹> ú Îà‹à¹o ³à[i¡¹ šåtå¡ìº¹ t塺>àÚ &ò샹
šåtå¡ìº¹ yû¡Ú³èº¸ "ì>A¡i¡àÒü ë¤[Å ¡ú ¤àl¡üº ¤àl¡üºà[>
Aõ¡ÈA¡, A¡à³à¹, Τ[\*Úà[º, "à[ƒ¤àÎã ƒ´š[t¡,
W¡³¢A¡à¹ &³[> >à>à ³è[t¡¢ &¹à ¤×A¡àº ë=ìA¡Òü [>³¢ào
A¡ì¹> ú δß[t¡ &Òü [Å¿ã¹à* t¡òà샹 [Å¿ [>ìÚ
š¹ãÛ¡à-[>¹ãÛ¡à A¡¹ìá> ú Q¹ Îà\àì>๠ëÅï[J>
‰¤¸ ™à¹ ">¸t¡³ l¡üƒàÒ¹o ú &Òü šåtå¡ìº¹ [Å¿ã šøo¤
[¤Å«àÎ ¡ú

The Dolls of Bengal | 20

Diwali Dolls, Medinipur
The prime attraction of Diwali is the magnificent display of lights. Lamps are lit
in every household to chase away evil and welcome prosperity. The Diwali dolls
represent wealth. These dolls are made exclusively in the districts of Midnapore
as well as Purulia. The lower portion of these dolls, with the ghagra (long skirt),
is hand-crafted with the help of a clay wheel. The moulded upper part, the
torso is then fixed to it. The hand-made clay limbs are fixed to the doll along
with its round girdle that has numerous lamps attached to it. Apart from these
traditional models, contemporary Diwali dolls are also manufactured in West
Midnapore, with kerosene bottles shaped as hands. A variety of Diwali dolls
are available at the Mirzabazar fair. These clay dolls are layered with chalk dust
after baking. The lower part of the body is given a pink, blue or red tint followed
by intricate floral patterns. The facial and other bodily features are painted
likewise. Diwali dolls in the form of animals, birds and deities are quite common
in Mirzabazar.

ƒãšºÜã ¤à ëƒ*Úà[º šåt塺,

ë³[ƒ>ãšå¹
ëƒ*Úà[º l¡ü;Î줹 ³èº "àA¡È¢o Òº "àìºàA¡Îðà ú "ǡ쮡¹ [¤>àÅ &¤} δšìƒ¹ ¤õ[‡ý¡¹
\>¸ KõÒÑ‚ ëƒ*Úà[ºìt¡ šøƒãš aàºàÚ ú ƒãšºÜã ¤à ëƒ*Úà[º šåt塺 Òº δšìƒ¹ 냤ã
ºÜã¹ šøt¡ãA¡ ú ƒåÒü ë³[ƒ>ãšå¹ * šå¹ç¡[ºÚàìt¡ &Òü šåt塺P¡ìºà ít¡[¹ ÒÚ ú šåtå¡ìº¹ >ãìW¡¹
QàQ¹à¹ ³ìt¡à "}Å[i¡ ÒÚ W¡àìA¡ ú ™à¹ ÎìU *šì¹¹ áòàìW¡ ët¡àºà ³åìJ¹ "}Å[i¡ ™åv¡û¡ A¡ì¹
ëƒÒ[i¡ δšèo¢ A¡¹à ÒÚ ú &¤à¹ ³à[i¡ [ƒìÚ Òàt¡ ít¡[¹ A¡ì¹ \åìØl¡ t¡à¹ ÎìU Î}[ÅÃÊ¡ ëKàºàA¡à¹
ë¤Ê¡>ã¹ KàìÚ "Î}J¸ šøƒãš ºà[KìÚ ëƒ*Úà ÒÚ ú &Òü Îàì¤A¡ã šåt塺 áàØl¡à* š[ÆW¡³
ë³[ƒ>ãšåì¹ &A¡iå¡ ">¸¹A¡ì³¹ ëƒ*Úà[º šåt塺 ÒÚ ™à¹ ƒå[i¡ Òàìt¡ ëƒ*Úà ÒÚ ëA¡ì¹à[Îì>¹
Aå¡[š ú &Òü ë\ºà¹ [³\¢à¤à\àì¹ >à>à ‹¹ì>¹ ëƒ*Úà[º šåt塺 šà*Úà ™àÚ ú ëšàØl¡àì>๠š¹
&ìt¡ JØl¡³à[i¡¹ šø캚 ëƒ*Úà ÒÚ ú >ãìW¡¹ QàQ¹à¹ "}Å[i¡ ºàº, ëKàºà[š, >㺠Òüt¡¸à[ƒ ¹}
A¡ì¹ t¡àìt¡ ó塺 ºt¡àšàt¡à¹ >A¡Åà A¡¹à ÒÚ ú ëƒìÒ¹ *šì¹¹ "}Å &¤} ëW¡àJ ³åJ Òüt¡¸à[ƒ
™=à™=®¡àì¤ ¹} A¡¹à ÒÚ ú šÇ¡šà[J¹ >à>à ³è[t¡¢ * 냤샤㹠³è[t¡¢¹ [¤[®¡Ä ‹¹ì>¹ ëƒ*Úà[º
šåt塺 šà*Úà ™àÚ [³\¢à¤à\àì¹ú

21 | The Dolls of Bengal

 Manasa Ghat (Pot), Dakshindari
These pots look like pregnant women, representing popular female deities who
are symbols of fertility. Barishal in East Bengal is known for such pots carrying
the painted figure of the snake goddess Manasa. Post-partition, these artisans
have settled down in both districts of 24 Parganas. These ‘ghats’ or pots are
commonly visible at the time of Shravan Sankranti in Kolkata and nearby areas.
These are made by Dakshindari artists Sunita Pal and Gurupada Pal.

³>Îà Qi¡, ƒ[Û¡oƒòà[Øl¡

³>Îà Qi¡ Òº K®¢¡¤t¡ã >à¹ã¹ šøt¡ãA¡ ú ëºï[A¡A¡ 냤ã샹 &A¡Òü ÎìU ó¡Î캹 l¡ü¤¢¹t¡à *
šø\>> Å[v¡û¡¹ šøt¡ãA¡ [ÒÎàì¤ A¡¿>à A¡¹à ÒìÚ[Ạú šè¤¢¤ìU¹ ¤[¹Åຠ"e¡ìº &³> &A¡
[¤ìÅÈ ‹¹ì>¹ Qìi¡ Κ¢ìƒ¤ã ³>Î๠šø[t¡Aõ¡[t¡ "òàA¡à =àìA¡ ú ëƒÅ®¡àìK¹ š¹ &ÒüΤ [Å¿ã¹à
ƒåÒü W¡[¤ÿ¤Å š¹K>àìt¡Òü ¤Î[t¡ [¤Ñzþ๠A¡ì¹ ú Åøà¤o Î}yû¡à[”z¹ [ƒì> ³>Îà šåì\๠ƒå’ &A¡ [ƒ>
"àìK ë=ìA¡Òü A¡ºA¡àt¡à * Î[Ä[Òt¡ "e¡ìº &Òü Qi¡ ëƒJà ™àÚ ú ³>Îà Qìi¡¹ [Å¿ã Òìº>
ƒ[Û¡oƒòà[Øl¡¹ Îå>ãt¡à šàº * P¡¹ç¡šƒ šàº ú

The Dolls of Bengal | 22

Elephants and horses, Belia
The baked clay elephants and horses of Beliar are unique. The semi-circular ears
and the diversity in the trunks of the elephants along with the long ears of horses
undoubtedly set a different standard for these artefacts. On the other hand, the
simplicity of the creations reflect the distinctive influence of folk art.

Òà[t¡ ëQàØl¡à, ë¤[ºÚà

š[ÆW¡³ ë³[ƒ>ãšåì¹¹ ë¤[ºÚ๠ëšàØl¡à³à[i¡¹ Òà[t¡ * ëQàØl¡à¹ &A¡ Ѭt¡”| í¤[Åʸ ¹ìÚìá ú
Òà[t¡P¡ìºà¹ "‹¢ìKàºàAõ¡[t¡ A¡à> &¤} í¤[W¡y¸šèo¢ Ç¡òØl¡ &¤} ëQàØl¡àP¡[º¹ º´¬àìi¡ ‹¹ì>¹
A¡à> &샹 [>@Îì–ƒìÒ &A¡ [®¡Ä³àyà [ƒìÚìá ú ">¸[ƒìA¡ ¤à׺¸¤[\¢t¡ Îàƒà³ài¡à "º}A¡¹ìo
ë¤[ºÚ๠[Å¿ã샹 A¡àì\ ëºàA¡[Å쿹 ÎÒ\ ιº ‹à¹à[i¡Òü šø[t¡ó¡[ºt¡ Òìt¡ ëƒJà ™àÚ ú

23 | The Dolls of Bengal

 Pressed Dolls, Howrah
The women belonging to the Kumbhakar family of Narendrapur, Howrah, make
bride and bridegroom dolls with fired clay. These dolls are made with the hand
pressure technique and sun dried before being baked. The bride-bridegroom
dolls are similar to the Shasthi dolls. The female features of the bride are
prominent with a bun on its head. The bridegroom has a conical face. The eyes
on both these dolls are made from small clay dots which are then poked with a
straw or thin stick to make holes. The bride gets a tilak on the forehead. They
are mainly used as toys for entertaining kids. The women also make horses in
a similar manner. These horses are dedicated to folk deities. The artist behind
these bride-bridegroom and horse dolls is Bechi Pal.

ëi¡šà šåt塺, Òà*Øl¡à

Òà*Øl¡à¹ >ì¹–ƒøšå¹ Nøàì³ Aå¡´±A¡à¹ š[¹¤àì¹¹ ³[Òºà¹à ít¡[¹ A¡ì¹> ëšàØl¡à³à[i¡¹ ¤¹-¤l¡ü *
ëQàØl¡à ú šåt塺P¡ìºà Òàìt¡ [i¡ìš ít¡[¹ A¡¹à¹ š¹ ë¹àìƒ Ç¡[A¡ìÚ ®¡à[i¡ìt¡ ëšàØl¡àì>à ÒÚ ú
¤¹-¤l¡ü šåt塺 ëƒJìt¡ "ì>A¡i¡à ÈË¡ã šåtå¡ìº¹ ³ìt¡à ú ¤l¡ü šåt塺[i¡¹ Ñ|ã "U šøA¡[i¡t¡ &¤}
³à=๠*šì¹ ëJòàšà ¤òà‹à ú ¤¹ šåt塺[i¡¹ ³à=ài¡à ÅSå¡ "àAõ¡[t¡¹ ú ƒå[i¡ šåtå¡ìº¹Òü ëáàìi¡à ³à[i¡¹
[i¡š "àºàƒà®¡àì¤ ºà[KìÚ A¡à[k¡ [ƒìÚ Kt¡¢ A¡ì¹ ëW¡àJ ít¡[¹ A¡¹à ÒÚ ú ¤l¡ü šåtå¡ìº¹ A¡šàìº
[t¡ºìA¡¹ ³ìt¡à ƒàK ëi¡ì> [i¡š š¹àì>à ÒÚ ú ¤àZáà샹 ëJºà¹ \>¸Òü &P¡ìºà ít¡[¹ A¡¹à  
ÒÚ ú
Òà[t¡ ëi¡šà ³à[i¡¹ ëQàØl¡àP¡ìºàìt¡* "àºàƒà®¡àì¤ ³à[i¡¹ ëW¡àJ "ài¡ìA¡ ëƒ*Úà ÒÚ ú &Òü
ëQàØl¡àP¡[º [š¹ ¤à ëºàA¡ìƒ¤t¡à¹ =àì> l¡ü;ÎK¢ A¡¹à ÒÚ ú ¤¹-¤l¡ü * ëQàØl¡à šåtå¡ìº¹ [Å¿ã
ë¤[W¡ šàº ú

The Dolls of Bengal | 24

Bonga elephants, Sandara
The Sandara region of Bankura is famous for its Bonga elephants. In the tribal
inhabited district of Bankura, these elephants are dedicated to the Santhali deity
Singh Bora at the place of Zaher. After making the model on a clay wheel, the
artist hand-paints the doll. It is then sun dried and baked. The peculiar round
shape of the Bonga elephants is its main attraction. Devidas Kumbhakar of
Sandara is a renowned artist of this art form.

ë¤àR¡à Òà[t¡, Î¸à–ƒØl¡à

¤òàAå¡Øl¡à ë\ºà¹ Î¸à–ƒØl¡à¹ šø[Î[‡ý¡ ë¤àR¡à Òà[t¡¹ \>¸ ú "à[ƒ¤àÎã "‹å¸[Èt¡ ¤òàAå¡Øl¡à ë\ºàÚ &Òü
Òà[t¡[i¡ l¡ü;ÎK¢ A¡¹à ÒÚ Îòà*t¡àºìƒ¹ 냤t¡à [Î} ë¤àR¡à¹ l¡üì„ìŸ \àìÒ¹ =àì> ú W¡àìA¡ ít¡[¹
A¡¹à¹ š¹ Òàt¡ [ƒìÚ [Å¿ã [>šåo®¡àì¤ A¡ì¹> "º}A¡¹o ú &¹š¹ ë¹àìƒ Ç¡[A¡ìÚ ®¡à[i¡ìt¡
ëšàØl¡àì>à ÒÚ ú ë¤àR¡à Òà[t¡ t¡à¹ ëKàºàA¡à¹ [¤ìÅÈ KØl¡ì>¹ \>¸ [¤ìÅÈ "àA¡È¢oãÚ ú  
Î¸à–ƒØl¡à¹ 냤ãƒàÎ Aå¡´±A¡à¹ ë¤àR¡à Òà[t¡¹ &A¡ šà¹ƒÅ¢ã [Å¿ã ú

25 | The Dolls of Bengal

 Shiva head, Nabadwip
The ritualistic wedding of Shiva-Parvati takes place at the time of Basanti
Puja, during the month of Chaitra, in Nabadwip, Nadia. The local kumbhakars
(potters) make colourful busts of Shiva, known as Shiva masks, on this
occasion. This moulded soft clay structure is sun dried before being coloured.
The facial features are drawn on the white face of Shiva. Yellow Kalki
flowers are painted on both ears and a golden crown (like that of a Bengali
bridegroom) is placed on the head. This mask is taken door to door and
the money thus collected is for wedding expenses. This is mostly done by
the children. This mask of Shiva is a significant piece of folk art. The artist
manufacturing these masks is Narayan Pal.

[Å줹 ³åìJàÅ, >¤‡ãš

>[ƒÚà ë\ºà¹ >¤‡ãìš íW¡y-í¤ÅàJ ³àìÎ ¤àΔzã šåì\àÚ ÒÚ [Ť-šà¤¢t¡ã¹ [¤ìÚ ú &Òü
l¡üšºìÛ¡¸ Ñ‚à>ãÚ Aå¡´±A¡à¹¹à ít¡[¹ A¡ì¹> [Å줹 ¹[R¡> ³å“¡³è[t¡¢ ™à š[¹[W¡t¡ [Å줹  
³åìJàÅ >àì³ ú Aò¡àW¡à³à[i¡¹ &Òü ³è[t¡¢[i¡ áòàìW¡ KìØl¡ [>ìÚ ë¹àìƒ Ç¡[A¡ìÚ ë>¤à¹ š¹ ¹}
A¡¹à ÒÚ ú [Å줹 Îàƒà ¹ìR¡¹ ³åJà¤Úì¤ ëW¡àJ, >àA¡, A¡à> "òàA¡à =àìA¡ ú ³à=àÚ š¹àì>à
ÒÚ ëÎà>à[º ¹ìR¡¹ ëi¡àšì¹¹ ³ìt¡à ³åAå¡i¡ ú ³åAå¡ëi¡ ºàKàì>à =àìA¡ ó¡oà ™åv¡û¡ Îàš ú &Òü
³åìJàÅ[i¡ W¡tå¡ìƒ¢àºàÚ ¤[Îì™, ¤à[Øl¡ ¤à[Øl¡ [®¡ìÛ¡ A¡ì¹ ë™ šÚÎà šà*Úà ™àÚ t¡àÒü [ƒìÚ
[Å줹 [¤ìÚ¹ "àìÚà\> A¡ì¹ Ñ‚à>ãÚ ³à>åÈ, [¤ìÅÈ A¡ì¹ ëáàìi¡à ëáàìi¡à ëáìºì³ìÚ¹à ú
¤×¤o¢ìÅà[®¡t¡ [Å줹 &Òü ³åìJàÅ[i¡ ëºàA¡[Å쿹 &A¡ ">>¸ [>ƒÅ¢> ú [Å줹 ³åìJàìŹ
[Å¿ã >à¹àÚo šàº ú

The Dolls of Bengal | 26

Wooden dolls
There was a time when wooden doll making was monopolized by the carpenter communities
of Bengal. These dolls were earlier made in the districts of Howrah, Bankura, Purulia and
West Midnapore, but is now restricted to places like Natungram, Daihat and Patuli in
Burdwan. The dolls are carved from white teak wood and then coloured. Some of the popular
dolls in this range are the owl, bride, mummy, king and queen, Radhakrishna, Gaur-Nitai,
etc. Earlier, they were commonly available in Kalighat and Nabadwip for pilgrims and hence,
came to be known as the dolls of Kalighat and Nabadwip. With constant experimentation,
the artisan community of Natungram is coming up with utility and home décor products,
including these dolls.

A¡àìk¡¹ šåt塺
&A¡Î³Ú š[ÆW¡³¤ìU¹ Îèy‹¹ š[¹¤àì¹¹ ³à>åÈÒü &Òü A¡àìk¡¹ šåt塺 ít¡[¹ A¡¹ìt¡> ú Òà*Øl¡à, ¤òàAå¡Øl¡à,
šå¹ç¡[ºÚà, š[ÆW¡³ ë³[ƒ>ãšå¹ ë\ºàÚ &Òü A¡àìk¡¹ šåt塺 ít¡[¹ Òìº* ¤t¡¢³àì> Ç¡‹å³ày ¤‹¢³à> ë\ºàÚ
>tå¡>Nøà³, ƒòàÒüÒài¡, šàiå¡[º Òüt¡¸à[ƒ "e¡ìº &Òü šåt塺 ít¡[¹ ÒÚ ú Kà³à¹ A¡àk¡ìA¡ ëJàƒàÒü A¡ì¹ ëƒ*Úà ÒÚ
šåtå¡ìº¹ "¤Ú¤ ú &¹š¹ t¡àìt¡ ¹} A¡¹à ÒÚ ú >tå¡> Nøàì³¹ ¤àÒà[¹ šò¸àW¡à¹ šø[Î[‡ý¡ ¤×A¡àº ë=ìA¡Òü ú
&¹ šàÅàšà[Å ¤l¡ü šåt塺 ¤à ³[³ šåt塺, ¹à\à-¹à[> šåt塺, ¹à‹àAõ¡Ì¡, ëKï¹-[>t¡àÒü ít¡[¹ ÒÚ ú &A¡Î³Ú
A¡àºãQài¡ "๠>¤‡ãìš ë¤[Å š[¹³àìo &Òü šåt塺 šà*Úà ë™t¡ ú t¡ã=¢™àyã¹à ¤à[Øl¡ ëó¡¹à¹ šì= Î}NøÒ
A¡¹ìt¡> ú t¡àÒü &Òü šåt塺 A¡àºãQài¡ ¤à >¤‡ãìš¹ šåt塺 ¤ìº* š[¹[W¡t¡ [Ạú ¤t¡¢³àì> >tå¡> Nøàì³¹ [Å¿ã¹à
t¡òà샹 [Å¿A¡³¢ [>ìÚ >à>à š¹ãÛ¡à [>¹ãÛ¡à A¡¹ìá> ú ¤àÒà[¹ "àΤठ* Q¹ Îà\àì>๠[>t¡¸ šøìÚà\>ã™
Îà³[Nø ít¡[¹ A¡¹ìá> &Òü šåt塺P¡ìºà ¤¸¤Ò๠A¡ì¹ ú
Wooden Doll, North 24 Pargans
Wooden dolls are also crafted in and around Kolkata. The faces of these dolls are
made of wood whereas the rest of the body is made from cloth. Radha-Krishna,
the bride-bridegroom, and the baul couple are some of the significant artifacts of
this region. The creator of these dolls is Samar Ghosh.

A¡àìk¡¹ šåt塺, l¡üv¡¹ 24 š¹Koà

A¡àìk¡¹ [A¡áå ëÅï[J> šåt塺 ít¡[¹ ÒÚ A¡ºA¡àt¡à * "àÅšàìŹ "e¡ìº ú &Òü šåt塺P¡ìºà¹
³åJi¡à A¡àìk¡¹ ÒÚ ú A¡àšØl¡ [ƒìÚ Òàt¡ * ëƒìÒ¹ ">¸à>¸ "}Å ít¡[¹ A¡¹à ÒÚ A¡àšØl¡ [ƒìÚ ú
¹à‹àAõ¡Ì¡, ¤¹-ë¤ï-¤àl¡üº-¤àl¡üºà[> &Òü ‹¹ì>¹ šåt塺 &®¡àì¤ ít¡[¹ ÒÚ ú &Òü šåtå¡ìº¹ [Å¿ã
γ¹ ëQàÈ ú

29 | The Dolls of Bengal

 Wooden Dolls, Natungram
Natungram in Burdwan district is famous for its wooden dolls. These are crafted
by the local carpenter community. The most popular are the owl, bride, king
and queen, Gaur-Nitai, Shiva, Kali and Durga, all carved from the wood of the
White Teak tree. The attractive wooden owl is a special attraction of Natungram.
Originally used for worshipping Goddess Lakshmi, it is now an artifact of global
repute. These dolls were also sold in the Kalighat region of Kolkata. Earlier, they
were painted with herbal colours. But now modern chemical dyes are also used.
The artist of these owls is Manik Sutradhar.

A¡àìk¡¹ šåt塺, >tå¡> Nøà³

¤‹¢³àì>¹ >tå¡> Nøàì³¹ šø[Î[‡ý¡ A¡àìk¡¹ šåtå¡ìº¹ \>¸ ú Ñ‚à>ãÚ Îèy‹¹ δ߃àìÚ¹ ³à>åìȹàÒü
&Òü šåtå¡ìº¹ [>³¢àt¡à ú Kà³à¹ Kàìá¹ A¡àk¡ ëJàƒàÒü A¡ì¹ šò¸àW¡à, ¤l¡üšåt塺, ¹à\à¹à[>, ëKï¹-
[>t¡àÒü, [Ť, A¡à[º, ƒåK¢à-&Òü¹A¡³ [¤[®¡Ä ‹¹ì>¹ šåt塺 ít¡[¹ A¡¹à ÒÚ ú &A¡Î³Ú 뮡È\ ¹}
¤¸¤Ò๠A¡ì¹ šåt塺P¡ìºà "º}A¡¹o A¡¹à Òt¡ ú ¤t¡¢³àì> &ìÎìá ¤à\à[¹ ¹} ú ¤àÒà[¹ A¡àìk¡¹
šò¸àW¡à¹ \>¸Òü >tå¡> Nøàì³¹ [¤ìÅÈ š[¹[W¡[t¡ ú ºÜãšåì\àÚ ¤¸¤Òê¡t¡ Òìº* ¤t¡¢³àì> &Òü
šò¸àW¡à¹ A¡ƒ¹ "à”z\¢à[t¡A¡ Ñzþì¹* ëš]ìá [KìÚìá ú &A¡Î³Ú A¡ºA¡àt¡à¹ A¡àºãQàìi¡* &Òü šåt塺
™ì=Ê¡ [¤[yû¡ Òt¡ ú >tå¡> Nøàì³¹ šåt塺 [>³¢àt¡à¹à ¤t¡¢³àì> t¡òà샹 [Å¿ [>ìÚ "ì>A¡ š¹ãÛ¡à-
[>¹ãÛ¡à A¡¹ìá> ú &Òü [Å¿ã¹ >à³ ³à[>A Îèy‹¹ ú

The Dolls of Bengal | 30

Other Dolls
">¸à>¸ šåt塺
Jute Dolls, Murshidabad
Bengal jute has been a fibre in demand for making items ranging from apparels
to home décor and furnishing. Jute dolls are one such sought after object. Jute
dolls have been in existence for a considerable period of time, though a sea
change has been observed in the technique for the past 5-6 years. Dolls are
being made from attractively dyed jute fibre. The rural women of Murshidabad
is proficient in this art form. Apart from dolls of girls with braided hair, birds
and animals, routine items like key rings, bags, rags and home décor products
are also being given a touch of the golden fiber these days. These jute dolls have
been made by Rasina Bewa.

šàìi¡¹ šåt塺, ³å[Å¢ƒà¤àƒ

¤à}ºà¹ šài¡ ë=ìA¡ >à>à ¤Ññ [>[³¢t¡ ÒÚ ™à¹ ³ì‹¸ ">¸t¡³ Òº šàìi¡¹ ít¡[¹ šåt塺 ú šàìi¡¹
t¡”ñ ë=ìA¡ ¤×[ƒ> "àìK ë=ìA¡Òü ëáàìi¡à ëáàìi¡à šåt塺 ít¡[¹ Òìt¡à ú [A¡”ñ [¤Kt¡ šòàW¡-áÚ
¤á¹ ™à¤; &Òü šåt塺 [>³¢ào š‡ý¡[t¡ìt¡ &ìÎìá š[¹¤t¡¢> ú šàìi¡¹ t¡”zåP¡ìºà >à>à ¹ìR¡
¹à[R¡ìÚ t¡à¹ ë=ìA¡ [¤[®¡Ä ³àìš¹ Îå–ƒ¹ šåt塺 ít¡[¹ ÒìZá ú ³èºt¡ ³å[Å¢ƒà¤àƒ ë\ºà¹ Nøà³ão
³[Òºà¹àÒü &Òü ‹¹ì>¹ šåt塺 [>³¢àìo ƒÛ¡t¡à¹ š[¹W¡Ú [ƒìÚìá> ú ƒå’šàìÅ ë¤>ã A¡¹à ë³ìÚ
šåt塺 áàØl¡à* >à>à šÇ¡šà[J¹ ³è[t¡¢* ít¡[¹ A¡¹à ÒìZá ú íƒ>[–ƒ> ¤¸¤Òà™¢ [\[>Îþ 뙳>
W¡à[¤¹ [¹}, Q¹ Îà\àì>๠Îà³Nøã, ¤¸àK, šàìšàÅ Òüt¡¸à[ƒìt¡ &Òü ‹¹ì>¹ >\¹A¡àØl¡à šøìÚàK
ºÛ¡¸ A¡¹à ™àÚ ú &Òü šåtå¡ìº¹ [Å¿ã ¹à[Î>à ë¤*Úà ¡ú

33 | The Dolls of Bengal

 Cloth Dolls,
North 24 Parganas
The older women in Bengali families
used to make dolls by stitching pieces of
old fabrics together. Various attractive
dolls like wedding couple, Baul couple, an
Englishman with his lady are in demand.

A¡àšìØl¡¹ šåt塺,  
l¡üv¡¹ 24 š¹Koà
šå¹ì>à A¡àšØl¡ìA¡ Îåìt¡à [ƒìÚ ë¤òì‹ ë¤òì‹
š[¹¤àì¹¹ ¤™ÑH ³[Òºà¹à šåt塺 ít¡[¹ A¡¹ìt¡> ú
¤t¡¢³àì> &A¡Òü š‡ý¡[t¡¹ ÎìU "à‹å[>A¡ [Å¿¹ã[t¡¹
볺¤Þê¡ì> >à>à "àA¡È¢oãÚ šåt塺 ít¡[¹ ÒìZá ú
뙳> ¤¹-¤l¡ü, ÎàìÒ¤ ë³³, ¤àl¡üº Òüt¡¸à[ƒ ú

The Dolls of Bengal | 34

Dancing Doll,
Medinipur
The braided or Beni doll artists of
the village of Padmatmali in East
Midnapore was known to beg for
money by performing the Beni puppet
dance. The dolls made from bamboo
and palm seeds were cleverly made
to dance to the songs they sung.
With time, the production process
of these Beni dolls has changed to
a great extent. The head is made of
clay while the arms are wooden with
ë¤oã šåt塺, ë³[ƒ>ãšå¹
strings of bells tied to them. These are šè¤¢ ë³[ƒ>ãšåì¹¹ šˆt¡³à[º Nøà³ ¤t¡¢³àì>
dressed according to the characters
ë¤>ãšåt塺 >àìW¡¹ [Å¿ã샹 ¤àÎÑ‚à> ú &A¡Î³Ú
they represent. The dolls are fixed
on bamboo sticks with threads. The
t¡à캹 "òà[i¡ "๠¤òàÅ [ƒìÚ &Òü šåt塺 ít¡[¹ A¡ì¹
lower ends of the sticks have holes KòàìÚ KòàìÚ Î*ƒà A¡ì¹ ë¤Øl¡àìt¡> [Å¿ã¹à ú Òàìt¡¹
for the puppeteer to slide his finger ëA¡ïÅìº >àW¡àìt¡> šåt塺 ú KàÒüìt¡> Kà> ú γìÚ¹
in and pull the threads, making the ÎìU ÎìU šåt塺 [>³¢àì> &ìÎìá š[¹¤t¡¢> ú &J>
doll dance. Since the fingers are &Òü šåtå¡ìº¹ ³åJ ÒÚ ³à[i¡¹ "๠Òàt¡ ƒåìi¡à ÒÚ
covered by the skirts of the dolls, the
A¡àìk¡¹ ú t¡àìt¡ ¤òà‹à ÒÚ QåR塹 ú W¡[¹y ">å™àÚã
dolls seem to have a life of their own.
The craftsman behind these dolls is
šåtå¡ìº¹ Îà\ìšàÅàA¡ ÒÚ ú ƒå’Òàìt¡ šåt塺 ‹ì¹
Rampada Ghorui. Òàìt¡¹ ëA¡ïÅìº t¡àìA¡ >àW¡à> [Å¿ã ÎìU W¡ìº  
Kà> ú šåtå¡ìº¹ ³à=à * Òàt¡ &A¡i¡à ¤òàìŹ ƒì“¡
Îåìt¡à [ƒìÚ \åìØl¡ t¡àìt¡ ëšàÅàA¡ š¹àì>à ÒÚ ú
¤òàìŹ ƒì“¡¹ >ãìW¡ =àìA¡ A¡ìÚA¡[i¡ [በú &ìt¡
"àR塺 Kà[ºìÚ Îåìt¡àÚ i¡à> [ƒìÚ šåt塺 >àW¡à>
[Å¿ã¹à ú Òàìt¡¹ "àR塺 šåtå¡ìº¹ ëšàÅàA¡ [ƒìÚ
n¡àA¡à =àìA¡ ú t¡àÒü ƒÅ¢A¡ ëÅøàt¡à¹à ³ì> A¡ì¹> šåt塺
ë™> "àš[>Òü >Øl¡àW¡Øl¡à A¡¹ìá ú ë¤>ãšåtå¡ìº¹ &Òü
Aõ¡;ìA¡ïź ëºàA¡šø™å[v¡û¡¹ &A¡ Îà=¢A¡ l¡üƒàÒ¹o ú
ë¤oã šåtå¡ìº¹ [ſ㠹೚ƒ ëQàØl¡Òü ú

35 | The Dolls of Bengal

 Palm leaf Dolls, Burdwan
The soldier made of palm leaf had a unique appeal for
kids. This toy with its flinging limbs used to be a special
attraction for all ages in fairs. Though a dying art, it is
not completely forgotten yet. These dolls are made by
cutting a palm leaf in the shape of parts of a human
body and then attaching them with threads. When the
bamboo stick fixed at the back is rotated, the doll tosses
its hands and legs in the air. Madan Dutta of Burdwan is
one of the few artists excelling in this art. He has created
a unique ‘Saheb O Mem’ doll – a palm leaf doll that has
a man on one side and a woman on the other. The latest
addition to his collection is a series on animals.

t¡àºšàt¡à¹ šåt塺, ¤‹¢³à>

t¡àºšàt¡à¹ [ΚàÒü šåt塺[i¡ [Ạ[Åǡ샹 &A¡ [W¡v¡àA¡È¢A¡  
ëJº>à ú šø[t¡[i¡ 볺๠Òàt¡-šà ëáòàØl¡à &Òü šåt塺[i¡ "¤àA¡
[¤Ñ¶ìÚ ³à>åÈ l¡üšì®¡àK A¡¹t¡ ú ¤t¡¢³àì> &¹ W¡º Jå¤ A¡ì³
&ìº* &J>* ºåœ¡ ÒìÚ ™àÚ[> ú t¡àºšàt¡àìA¡ ëA¡ìi¡ ëA¡ìi¡
³à>åìȹ ëƒìÒ¹ >à>à "U šøt¡¸U ¤à[>ìÚ t¡àìA¡ Îåìt¡à [ƒìÚ  
ë\àØl¡à ÒÚ ú &¹ [®¡t¡¹ ¤òàìŹ A¡[e¡ &³>®¡àì¤ "ài¡A¡àì>à ÒÚ
™àìt¡ &[i¡ ëQà¹àìºÒü šåt塺[i¡¹ Òàt¡ šà >Øl¡ìt¡ =àìA¡ ú ¤‹¢³à>
ë\ºà¹ ³ƒ> ƒv¡ &Òü t¡àºšàt¡à¹ šåtå¡ìº¹ &A¡\> [Å¿ã ú &Òü
[Å¿ [>ìÚ [t¡[> >à>à š¹ãÛ¡à A¡¹ìá> ú t¡ò๠šåtå¡ìº¹ &A¡[ƒìA¡
šå¹ç¡È ">¸[ƒìA¡ >à¹ã³è[t¡¢ ú ™àìA¡ [t¡[> ¤ìº> ÎàìÒ¤ * ë³³ ú
¤t¡¢³àì> \”ñ \àì>àÚàì¹¹ šø[t¡Aõ¡[t¡* [t¡[> ít¡[¹ A¡¹ìá> ú

The Dolls of Bengal | 36

Shellac Dolls, Medinipur
Panchrol, Pashchimsai and Pratapdighi of East Midnapore were, at a point
of time, renowned centres for shellac dolls. At present, Brindaban Chanda of
Pashchimsai village is the only one making these dolls. The primary structure
is made with hand-pressed soil gathered from white ant hills. This is then sun-
dried and baked. This fired clay doll is layered with shellac colour. The formula
for making this colour is a complicated one. To begin with, shellac is mixed with
paint. This mixture is then heated to make thin shellac sticks. The clay dolls are
then warmed up in charcoal fire and shellac is applied. This is then topped up
by the shellac sticks. Animals, pendants, Goddess Manasa, and Shasthi dolls are
some of the popular shellac items.

Kàºà¹ šåt塺, ë³[ƒ>ãšå¹

šè¤¢ ë³[ƒ>ãšå¹ ë\ºà¹ šòàW¡ì¹àº, š[ÆW¡³ÎòàÒü * šøt¡àš[ƒQã¡ &A¡Î³Ú Kàºà¹ šåtå¡ìº¹ \>¸
Jå¤Òü šø[·ý¡ [Ạú ¤t¡¢³àì> š[ÆW¡³ÎòàÒü Nøàì³¹ ¤õ–ƒà¤> W¡–ƒÒü &Òü A¡àì\¹ &A¡³ày [Å¿ã ú
l¡üÒü[n¡[¤¹ ³à[i¡ [ƒìÚ Òàìt¡ [i¡ìš A¡à[Tt¡ šåt塺[i¡¹ "¤Ú¤ ít¡[¹ A¡ì¹ ë¹àìƒ Ç¡A¡ì>à ÒÚ ú
&¹š¹ ®¡à[i¡ìt¡ ëƒ*Úà ÒÚ ëšàØl¡àì>๠\>¸ ú ëšàØl¡à³à[i¡¹ &Òü šåt塺 &¤à¹ Kàºà [ƒìÚ ¹}
A¡¹à ÒÚ ú Kàºà¹ ¹} ít¡[¹¹ š‡ý¡[t¡ ë¤Å \[i¡º ú šø=ì³ Kàºà * ¹} [³[ÅìÚ ƒ“¡ ít¡[¹ A¡¹à
ÒÚ ú &Òü ƒ“¡[i¡ l¡üv¡œ¡ A¡ì¹ š¹¤t¡¢ã "º}A¡¹ìo¹ \>¸ Î¹ç¡ Î¹ç¡ Kàºà¹ Îåìt¡à ít¡[¹ A¡¹à  
ÒÚ ú A¡àk¡A¡Úºà¹ "àP¡ì> ëšàØl¡à³à[i¡¹ šåt塺P¡ìºà [A¡áåi¡à K¹³ A¡ì¹ [>ìÚ Kàºà¹ ƒ“¡ ë=ìA¡
Kàºà ºàKàì>à ÒÚ ú &¹š¹ Kàºà¹ Î¹ç¡ Îåìt¡à [ƒìÚ A¡¹à ÒÚ >à>à ¹A¡³ "º}A¡¹o ú >à>à  
\ã¤\”ñ, ³>Îà, ÈË¡ãšåt塺, ºìA¡i¡ Òüt¡¸à[ƒ ít¡[¹ A¡ì¹> [Å¿ã ú ¤t¡¢³àì> Kàºà &¤} ¹} ëA¡>à
ÒÚ ¤à\๠ë=ìA¡ ú

37 | The Dolls of Bengal

 Metallic Dolls
In Bengal, the casted brass art pieces by the nomadic
craftsmen community have been in vogue since ages.
This primitive process of metal casting has been
technically termed as the lost wax process. The brass
figurine is polished with cow dung for an enhanced
shine, though the modern artisans prefer an acid polish.
These artists also create models of various animals,
birds, tribal people, contemporary characters, Lakshmi
pots, jewelry boxes, and masquerades and so on. These
are artifacts of international acclaim. The Kansari
community of Nabadwip, in Nadia, is famous for
manufacturing exclusive brass statues of the deities.

‹àt塹 šåt塺
¤×A¡àº ë=ìA¡Òü ¤à}ºàÚ "à[ƒ³ š‡ý¡[t¡¹ ë³à³áòàW¡ìºàšã [št¡º
n¡àºàÒü [Å¿ [Å쿹 šøW¡º> [Ạ¡ú [št¡ìº¹ l¡ü^ºt¡à ¤àØl¡àì>à¹
\>¸ ëKह ¤¸¤Ò๠A¡¹à ÒÚ ¡ú ¤t¢¡³àì> [Å¿ã¹à "¸à[Îl¡ ¤¸¤Òà¹
A¡ì¹> ¡ú [Å¿ã¹à 냤샤㹠³è[t¢¡ áàØl¡à* šÇ¡, šà[J, "à[ƒ¤àÎã
* >à>à ‹¹ì>¹ "à‹å[>A¡ ™åìKàš™åKã ³è[t¢¡ ít¡[¹ A¡ì¹> ¡ú & áàØl¡à
ºÜã¹ cò¡à[š, KÚ>๠¤àG, ³åìJàÅ Òüt¡¸à[ƒ* ¤à>à> ¡ú &Òü [Å쿹
"à”z\¢à[t¡A¡ A¡ƒ¹ ¹ìÚìá ¡ú >[ƒÚ๠>¤‡ãìš Aò¡àÎà[¹ δ߃àÚ
Ç¡‹å³ày [št¡º [ƒìÚ [¤[®¡Ä ‹¹ì>¹ 냤샤㹠>à>à "àA¡àì¹¹
³è[t¢¡ ít¡[¹ A¡ì¹> ¡ú

The Dolls of Bengal | 38

Dolls have been customarily crafted for religious purposes, believed to
possess spiritual, magical and ritual value. This is evident from discoveries
made from excavations in the Sindhu Valley. Potter communities nestling
around these excavation sites still make such dolls and it can be safely
assumed that these modern-day fired clay dolls are the descendants of
India’s ancient terracotta art.

In addition to clay, artisans also create colourful dolls made of wood, metal,
sponge wood, palm leaf, jute, etc. Urbanization has slowed down the pace of
doll-making, but it has not been able to bring it to a halt. From fair-grounds
to modern showrooms, the year-round bustle is enough to warm the hearts of
these artisans. Their meagre income might not be sufficient for sustenance,
but these craftsmen hold up to the art, out of sheer dedication and love.

Biswa Bangla brings you a unique collection of the dolls of Bengal that spans
the entire State. They are either crude and rudimentary as well as elaborate
art. All these dolls are available at Biswa Bangla showrooms at Kolkata
Airport, Dakshinapan in Kolkata, Biswa Bangla Haat at Rajarhat, Bagdogra
Airport, Darjeeling, and New Delhi.

www.biswabangla.in

Visit us on