Maati se Maa: How Delhi’s Durga idols take shape, one stroke at a time

With Durga Puja starting on October 17, West Bengal-based artisans have been camping in Delhi-NCR, shaping idols. Here's what goes behind the final spectacle.

With Durga Puja starting on October 17, artisans from across West Bengal have been camping in Delhi-NCR for months, shaping Maa Durga and her entourage for pandals across the city. Behind the final spectacle are painstaking craft, decades-old ties and traditions they are determined to preserve.

With puja committees all set to deck the Durga Puja pandals. here's a peek into artisans at workshops in Delhi-NCR who spend weeks, sometimes months, shaping and perfecting idols to be kept at the pandals. (Photos: Manoj Verma/HT)

Artisan Manik Pal at a workshop near Chandralok Cinema, Chittaranjan (CR) Park, painting Maa Durga's idol ahead of the festival.

From clay to goddess

For some artisans, ties with Delhi’s puja committees go back decades. Manik Pal, who travels from Kolkata’s Krishnanagar to the Capital every year during pujo. “Hum 40 saal se iss business mein hain. Iss baar humne sabse badi murti, 23 feet ki, Gurugram Sector 15 mein banayi hai jo hum 3-4 mahinon se bana rahe hain," shares Manik. "We showcase the tallest Durga Maa idol almost every year. For that, we only trust Manik Ji’s craft,” says Rajarshi Sengupta, general secretary of Purbapalli Durgabari Samiti, which has worked with Pal for 26 years, adding that Manik has become “part of the family”, with the idol-making process involving its fair share of crazy yet sweet arguments.

At CR Park’s B Block pandal, the bond extends into the celebrations too. “We involve our artisans throughout the festivities. Last year, when our idol won the first prize, we even did dhunuchi dance with them to celebrate the win,” says the pandal’s spokesperson Arundhuti Bhattacharya.

An artisan painting Goddess Durga's idol, defining the facial features.

The eyes Chico

One of the most significant stages comes around Mahalaya, seven days before Durga Puja, when the idol’s eyes are painted. Vishwajeet Halder, an artisan who works at a workshop in Noida Sector 20, shares, “Humein 2-3 ghante lagte hai aankhein banane mein kyunki bohot detailing aur patience lagta hai. Par ye hi sabse pyaara moment bhi hota hai.”

The eyes of the Goddess Durga’s idol are equally important for puja committees. At CR Park’s B Block pandal, spokesperson Arundhuti tells us, “Maa Durga’s eyes have to be big, bold and very beautiful, in a way that when she looks towards her devotees visiting the pandal, she is greeting them with her eyes.”

Drawing the line at AI

As AI reshapes religious imagery, some artisans are drawing a line. Halder says he refuses all requests to modify the traditional appearance of gods. “AI wali murti bahut log banate hain. Humare paas bhi kabhi-kabhi order aata hai jismein woh bhagwan ka original roop hi modify karne ko bolte hain. Par mere liye, bhagwan cartoon nahi hai. Aap jo bhi mann mein aaye woh nahi bana sakte unke chehre par. Isliye main woh orders hi nahi leta,” he says.

Visitors exploring idol workshops in CR Park, clicking selfies with unfinished works.

Dekho magar pyaar se

As festive fervour grips the city, enthusiasts are lining up for walks through artisans’ workshops to see the idols take shape. But artisans say the attention sometimes does more harm than good. Pal says visitors taking photographs can often accidentally damage unfinished idols.

“Log photo kheechne aate hain, humein bahut problem hota hai. Woh aage-peechhe itna dekh ke nahi chalte, toh koi kisi murti ka haath ya ungli tod deta hai by mistake. Isliye hum mana karte hain,” he says.

Story by Anshita Jain

For more, follow @htcity.delhijunction