August 1, 2026: A muggy day in Kolkata. The skies were acting rather indecisively, yet a photographer colleague, Sounak Das, and I decided to drive down to Kumartuli, the traditional potters’ colony in Northern Kolkata by the Hooghly. The neighbourhood was marked by the smell of wet mud and the sight of raw, unprepared idols, giving the narrow alleys their character.
As someone visiting the city for the first time, I was curious about the genesis of Kumartuli. “The story of Kumartuli goes back 300 years,” Das remarked. Maharaja Krishnachandra of Krishnanagar in the Nadia district of West Bengal promulgated and popularised idol worship in this city, which became renowned for its skilled clay modellers. The first Durga Puja is believed to have been celebrated in Krishnanagar in 1606, inspiring Raja Nabakrishna Deb of Shobhabazar Rajbari to start the tradition at his family home in 1757. Skilled kumars or potters were brought from Krishnanagar to create idols of the goddess. These orkers slowly began settling in Kumartuli along the Hooghly River.
The process of idol making begins with creating the Kathamo, a skeletal structure of wood and bamboo assembled by pinning and tying the two together. Before the structure is coated with clay, sacred rituals are performed on the Kathamo, months ahead of Durga Puja, usually on an auspicious occasion such as Rath Yatra or Janmashtami. Finally, the structure is tied with straw before it is coated with clay.
Next, the kumars apply mud to the straw structure. The mud used is prepared using clay and water. The two types of clay used to coat the idol’s body are entel mati (sticky, high-tensile clay) and bele mati (crispy clay). First, a foundation layer of entel mati mixed with the husk of rice (also called tush) is applied and left for the next three days. Then comes a second layer of bele mati, which takes about six days to dry. After that, tha next step is to prepare the face and limbs. These are prepared separately, usually using moulds, which reduces the time a kumar spends preparing each idol.
I once read that the mud used to coat the straw structure always includes mud sourced from a brothel’s or a prostitute’s courtyard, to the extent that the idol is considered incomplete in its absence. I was quick to ask one of the potters if there was any truth to it. “My grandfather was also in the same profession, and the practice was prevalent when he used to prepare idols. Not so much anymore,” he replied.
The last step includes colouring and decorating the idols. It is usually coated with a layer of white paint followed by different colours. After the idol is ready, embellishing it is the next step. Usually, there are three types of decorations for idols – Daaker Saaj, Rangtaa Saaj, and Sholar Saaj.
Upon seeing only men working in these studios, I asked one of the potters whether women were kept out. “It was traditionally the work of men, and women were facilitators, expected to provide care and food on time. But things changed around the 1990s when a few women entered the craft,” he said. Mala Pal is considered to be one of the first few women who started making idols after the tragic death of her father, which pushed the family into financial crisis. her brother, but gained recognition and acceptance from her community and family only after her work was exhibited at the National Handicrafts Museum in New Delhi.
I had spotted more than five people with cameras, wanting to capture these potters up close. Seeing the potters rebuke them and chase them away, I dared to ask a group sitting at leisure, “Why don’t you all like the attention?”
“Because it distracts us from our job. This is the only time we can work to earn. The rest of the year is spent jobless,” one of the potters said. When I inquired further about their struggles, another potter in the group mentioned that most of them live and work in the same quarters, and that, with a paucity of space and the monsoon, their idols get damaged. “Every year, the monsoon gives us a tough time,” he added.
Well, he wasn’t wrong. As Sounak and I walked back from the lanes towards our vehicle, it was already pouring as if it would never stop.
