Kolkata’s Kumartuli, the city’s traditional hub for Durga idol-making, is seeing a dramatic shift in demand this year, with orders for theme-based idols falling sharply as organisers increasingly opt for the conventional ‘sabeki’ form of Goddess Durga.
Artisans say the change has come amid appeals from the new BJP government in West Bengal and Hindu rights organisations to preserve the classical form of the deity and avoid themes or representations that could be seen as deviating from religious tradition.
Theme-based idol orders almost disappear
Babu Pal, secretary of the Kumartuly Mritsilpa Sanskrity Samity, which represents traditional clay idol makers, said artisans at Kumartuli moulded around 7,000 to 7,500 idols of the Mother Goddess, including smaller idols and those up to 12 feet tall.
Of these, around 100 to 150 were theme-based idols in previous years. This year, however, no more than 10 such idols are being crafted, he said.
“The orders for such idols have dropped drastically this year,” Pal said.
Other reports from Kumartuli have similarly recorded a sharp decline in theme-based idols, with artisans putting the number this year at around 10 to 12 compared with roughly 150 earlier. Most idols are also being kept within an 11-foot height limit, with traditional faces increasingly preferred. Kolkata Police has said the height restriction is an existing rule linked to immersion logistics and overhead wires.
The shift does not mean that creative themes have disappeared altogether. Several Kolkata pujas are still adopting elaborate concepts for their pandals and artistic presentations this year, including mythology-based themes.
‘Sabeki’ form gains preference
The difference between the two styles is substantial, artisans say.
“The two forms, theme-based and the traditional (sabeki), are vastly different. In the theme-based idols, the workload is more and there is more scope for the artisan to show his craftsmanship. The traditional design, on the other hand, follows the scriptural rules and a set format over decades,” said an artisan making 12 large idols this year.
Traditional Durga idols follow established rules concerning the Goddess’ posture, facial expression, colour, weapons and ten arms.
Theme-based idols, by contrast, allow artists to depart from these conventions and create the Goddess and her entourage according to a particular concept or setting. The changes can involve the posture, expression and presentation of the deity and accompanying figures.
For years, such experimentation had been regarded by many as an important expression of artistic skill and creative interpretation during Kolkata’s Durga Puja.
Push for traditional forms gains political backing
The decline in demand for creative idols follows appeals by the BJP government in West Bengal and Hindu rights organisations for puja committees to return to more classical forms.
On September 7, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari appealed to puja organisers not to select themes for pandals or idols that could deviate from tradition, culture and the sanctity of rituals. He made the appeal while meeting several hundred puja organisers from across the state.
The chief minister subsequently announced several changes to this year’s celebrations, including a ban on DJ music during Puja and processions, a closure of liquor shops and bars on Maha Ashtami, restrictions on early pandal inaugurations and the scrapping of the annual Red Road Puja Carnival. He clarified that theme-based pandals could still be created, but urged organisers to select themes carefully and ensure they did not hurt Sanatan religious sentiments.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad had also issued what it described as guidelines for selecting Durga Puja themes in August, triggering a political and public controversy.
The VHP later said it had not issued any directions or diktats, but had merely requested organisers to adhere to the classical form of the Goddess.
“We need to bring back the traditional pandals. In the name of theme-based pujas we cannot do anything that is distorted and violates the sanctity. If the pandal is made with objects such as shoes, torn cloth, broken bangles that violate the sanctity, we will oppose it and stop the puja,” a VHP leader in West Bengal had said.
Kumartuli prepares for deliveries across Bengal
With Mahalaya approaching on October 10, finished idols are lined up inside the narrow, dimly lit workshops on Bonomali Sarkar Street, many covered with polythene sheets.
Artisans are putting the final touches to clay models, while others are applying the last coats of paint before the idols leave for their respective pandals across West Bengal. Some are being sent to other states and have been carefully packed into large boxes.
The change in demand is also being felt in the way artisans approach their work. Earlier reports from Kumartuli said an unwritten set of restrictions and caution around experimental idols had made several makers reluctant to discuss the issue openly, while bookings for unconventional designs were lower than expected.
Heavy rain has added another challenge for the artisans, forcing some to move idols indoors or protect unfinished works with makeshift covers as they race to complete orders ahead of the festival.
Durga Puja’s cultural and economic footprint
Durga Puja, which is celebrated over five days, is West Bengal’s biggest festival. Around 3,000 community pujas are held in Kolkata, while roughly 42,000 pujas take place across the state. These figures do not include celebrations organised in homes, apartment complexes and smaller clubs.
Kolkata’s Durga Puja was added to UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2021, giving the festival international recognition.
Its economic impact is also substantial. A 2018 study by the British Council, IIT Kharagpur and Queen Mary University of London estimated that the creative industries associated with Durga Puja generated an economy worth ₹32,377 crore. The study was commissioned by the West Bengal government.
The return to conventional idols this year therefore represents more than a change in artistic preference for Kumartuli’s artisans. It reflects a broader debate over the balance between religious tradition and the creative experimentation that has become a defining feature of Kolkata’s Durga Puja.
A prominent South Kolkata puja club president said organisers had not received any government diktat.
“The state hasn’t issued any diktat. Only some requests have been made not to distort the figures of the Mother Goddess and her entourage in such a manner that it violates the sanctity. Organisers have welcomed this,” the president said.