Inside Kumartuli: home to Kolkata’s best Durga idol makers

While the residents of West Bengal are eagerly waiting for Durga Puja, the artisans of Kumartuli are toiling hard to sculpt the idols of the invincible goddess. Kumartuli is the potters’ abode, situated near Shobhabazar in North Kolkata. Generally, the artisans work in normal day shifts. However, due to the tight deadlines before the Puja starts, these artisans burn the midnight oil.
Kumartuli artisan community has been in the job of making idols of the Hindu deities since 1950. Several men, who engage in the art of creating clay idols, live here. The idols made by these men are in demand, owing to their popularity and attractiveness.


So much so that the idols made by artisans in Kumartuli are demanded by people living in the USA, UK, New Zealand and other nations. Earlier, only a bunch of idol makers would live in Kumartuli; with the passage of time, it has grown into a full-fledged human settlement giving shelter to 150 families. The potters’ families would initially make idols from clay gathered from the Ganga river, and then sell them at the Sutanuti Bazar (later Burrabazar). There are 500 or more workshops here, dedicated to the business of idol-making and creating pottery items.

Kumartuli has also been home to some famous personalities since the Bengal Renaissance.