Navarathri Golu Memories_ Over the years!!

 From childhood days I love Navarathri Golu festival. Hope all of you know about the history of Navaratri. So I am not going to explain about that in my blog. This year we don't have Golu festival. So decided to share story behind each doll that we keep in our golu every year. 

I hope this post will be quite interesting to read.

Firstly below pics are collage of previous years Golu.

Golu 2024

We started keeping Golu (after marriage) from 2006. First year we celebrated in my in-laws native place Nagapattinam. There we have a lot of collection from olden days golu Bommai. My husband used to say every year they used to collect bommai (without telling) from  grandmother home when they help packing and after golu over. Both my in-laws and my parents followed traditions of keeping golu.

My maternal grandmother used to keep golu for 21 steps. Huge collection of dolls she had especially peenkan(ceramic) bommais more.

They used to make maida paste before placing dolls on steps as they had disturbance of rats on early days. Story goes on. Coming to our story.

In 2007 we started our Golu with above God dolls that we got in Singapore (china town). Second step of our Golu is dedicated especially for our Golden collection, that is still looking shiny over the years. We carefully packed and transported to many places. But still those divine Gods have the same fresh look.

Taking Golu bommais out of box and seeing is indeed a great feel that cannot be expressed in words.

Above dolls that decorate our first step are made up of rubber. We got it from North Indian doll sellers who sell it on a push carts on road sides.

We always prefer small and easy handling Bommai for our golu.

Above ones Tanjore dancing dolls we bought it from tanjore.we also got some more wooden cooking set from there 

No golu is complete without chettiyar and his wife, and Mara pachi wood doll set 

Farmer set without them we couldn't lead our life peacefully. This set we got from Mylapore along with chettiyar Bommai.

This horse is more special was given by my Cosister Sumathy, never thought that would be her last golu visit on 2017.

Below dolls hanuman sanjeevi malai set and thiruvannmalai girivalam set we got it from Sreetex in mambakkam For our 2022 golu. On that me n my son's went to that place on two wheeler. After buying the doll they packed carefully only mountain part we were ble to keep inside seat,rest all we kept in front. We planned to eat on way but we couldn't with doll in bike., bcoz we can neither carry inside hotel nor leave it unattended. Later my husband ordered food online and we reached home. 

In below pic Mahalaxmi is a rubber doll, green ganesha and vasudeva krishna c3 mami presented for our golu. Lord Venkatesh our marriage gift.  

Crocodile and elephant is a wooden doll we bought it for 2023 golu fromkhadi gramodya bhavan at Mount road.

Below are some more dolls that we bought there.

Vathi Raja theerthar

Saptarishi set

Ram Anjaneya - sakyam

Dattatreya 

 

Icecream seller and Mithaiwala set

Here is a short description of above set

Below Ganesha was given by my Bestie                Dr sakthipriya when she visited our golu.

Below babies and golu pics is from Abudhabi, we bought camels,emirati and boy girl dolls. My kids added with their DiY Robot kit as we didn't carry golu dolls with us. With our pooja Gods we just added and did a creative golu on 2019.

Abudhabi Golu Fest

Some more collections to be added will continue in part _2