‘Bommala Koluvu’, Telugu Way Of Celebrating Dussera

Berhampur: With the arrival of Dussera, the house of Dr Jamulla Narayan Rao and Jamulla Sailaja at Sana Bazar, here turns a star attraction among the Telugu community for ‘Bommala Koluvu’ (display of dolls).

Bommala Koluvu, which is an integral part of the nine-day ‘Navratri Puja’, witnesses exhibition of dolls of animals and birds and also figurines depicting the rural life of the Telugu community. It thematically represents social events such as marriage, village shanty, public gathering etc. The idols and dolls are arranged in the form of step-like horizontal arrays.

Every year on Dussera, Jamulla Sailaja comes out with her display of a huge ‘Bommala Koluvu’ on unique themes. “Preserving the dolls and bringing them out during such occasions is a mammoth task, but an engaging one. We visit different places to buy thematic dolls,” she said.

When friends, relatives and well-wishers visit her house to see the Koluvu, they are given prasad, kumkum and a small bag of gifts particularly to the married women.

The visiting guests and the host chant devotional hymns and shlokas at Koluvu when puja is performed in the evening. After performing the puja, the food items that are offered to the Goddess are served to the people, she said.