Bengaluru dolls up for Gombe Habba, limelight on grand thematic displays

Bengaluru: As the festive season sweeps across Bengaluru, a delightful transformation is taking place in the heart of many homes: living rooms are coming alive with treasured gombe and golu displays. These elaborate doll displays, often passed down as family heirlooms or carefully selected for the occasion, are set up with meticulous care.P Srinivasan's living room in Indira Nagar is nothing short of majestic—a sight that transports you into a realm of the divine. At the heart of this space are two thematic ‘gombe' displays, intricately designed to evoke a sense of the divine. On the left, Lord Ranganathar reclines gracefully on the five-headed serpent, mirroring the celestial image from Vaikuntha, the heavens. Above him, a shimmering gold gopuram rises, modelled with precision after the iconic tower of the Srirangam temple. Srinivasan said: "It took me two months to complete this theme."On the right side of the room stands another stunning creation: the towering gopuram of Uppiliappan Temple in Kumbakonam. This seven-tiered structure is adorned with over 100 dolls, each carefully placed to depict various themes. At its centre is Lord Uppiliappan, surrounded by deities like Meenakshi Amman, Andal, and the revered Nava Nagashima. Srinivasan, now 66, has been crafting these elaborate gombe displays for four decades. "I've been preserving these dolls for years. For 40 years, I've had the fortune of celebrating and decorating with them," he says with a proud smile.Meanwhile, in Banashankari, Adisheshan and Vijayasheshan couple have taken this year's Gombe Habba to a new level of grandeur, using more than 10,000 dolls to celebrate the festival. "We used 12 themes, including an elaborate Ayodhya setup, depictions of 64 traditional art forms, and various avatars of Lord Krishna and Goddess Lakshmi. The entire display spans over 2,000 square feet of our living room," the couple shared with excitement.Over in Rajajinagar, Padma Uday Kumar has created an awe-inspiring display of 108 temples of Lord Vishnu, meticulously built from scratch. Two towering gopurams, standing 8 feet tall and 1.5 feet wide, serve as the centrepiece of her display. "I've been celebrating Gombe Habba for years, but it's only in the last five years that I've taken to creating thematic displays," Padma said. Her main exhibit features a stunning five-step arrangement of 500 gombe sets, each step telling a story of devotion and artistry.