Vilachery dolls: a colourful tradition lives on in Madurai

The history of doll-making at Vilachery can be traced to 1965 when Sadasiva Velar and Suran Velar, along with Thangaraman Velar, laid the foundation. They were artisans from Velar families making terracotta horses offered by people to Ayyanar temples 

As one walks through the narrow streets of Vilachery in Madurai, members of a family can be spotted perfecting terracotta idols, painting them to life and arranging an army of ‘kolu’ dolls. Most artisans are working with old songs belted out by a mobile phone and induction stoves with a vessel that would have been full of tea minutes ago. , to keep them going through the day’s work.

Customers in chunks can be seen vying for the best ‘kolu bommais’ for Navaratri. Among them, a group of women stood alone as they had a specific list of dolls: five houses, seven ‘Thavazhum Kannan’ figurines and so on. Usha Suman, one of the shoppers, said people of Sankaralingapuram near Virudhunagar offered dolls to the ‘Oor kolu’, a tradition at the Ramalinga Sowdeswari Amman temple. “Parents who want to marry off their wards would buy a ‘Radha Krishna set’. This time, we came in early to buy the best,” she said.

Most artisans have loyal customers. “Some even come back for repainting dolls, which they say were passed on from their mothers and grandmothers — a testimony that our dolls are made to last,” said M. Ramalingam, 68, who has been at it for more than half his life. One can find clay toys ranging from as low as ₹10 for a two-inch vegetable figurine with fine details to the 10-foot Vinayagar idols priced at ₹50,000. For any kolu, three sets — Dasavatharam, Ashtalakshmi, a wedding set along with the idols of Goddesses Lakshmi, Saraswathi and Durga — are a must, said R. Selvi, a seller.

While many artisans stuck to making regular doll sets this year, many displayed new pieces such as sets of Vishwakarma puja, ‘Ramar Paalam,’ and Surya Ratham drawn by seven horses.

Mr. Ramalingam traced the history of doll-making at Vilachery to 1965 when Sadasiva Velar and Suran Velar, along with Thangaraman Velar, laid the foundation. The three were traditional artisans from families of Velars (members of the potter community) engaged in making terracotta horses which were offered by people to Ayyanar temples on the periphery of villages as part of ‘puravi eduppu’ (horse procession).

Over the years, they made smaller dolls, which gained popularity. “As a child, I learnt the craft during the summer holidays with my friends. What was hardly a business that involved 12 families has now grown to be the identity and livelihood of 150 families,” he said. The dolls from here stand out as the artisans design their own moulds.

T. Vijayakumar, son of one of the forerunners, said about 50 families were engaged in crafting figurines to display the Nativity scene, gaining buyers around Christmas. In contrast to lavishly coloured dolls, a humble shed sheltered terracotta horses that were left to dry. N. Muthukumar, one among the few families still making puravi, said the business peaked during the Tamil months of Puratasi, Panguni and Vaikasi when temple festivals are celebrated.