Bamboo, straw, river clay and paint: the making of a Durga image.
Idols take shape in a workshop lane at Kumartuli, north Kolkata. Photo: Pinakpani, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
On the bank of the Hooghly in north Kolkata, hundreds of artisans make the images for the city's pujas and for pujas abroad.
Idols take shape in a workshop lane at Kumartuli, north Kolkata. Photo: Pinakpani, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
Each image is built on a bamboo and wood frame, shaped in straw, covered in layers of river clay, dried, then painted and dressed.
An artisan paints a Durga idol at Kumartuli. Photo: Ishani Nath, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
Chokkhu daan, painting the goddess's eyes, is the final step, traditionally done around Mahalaya.
Durga with her family, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha and Kartik, at Maddox Square, Kolkata. Photo: Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.
Unbaked clay and natural colours, and immersion in artificial ponds, keep rivers cleaner.
An artificial pond built for idol immersion, keeping the sea clean. Photo: Rudolph.A.Furtado, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
The month before the puja is the best time to go. Mornings are calmer; these are workplaces, so ask before you photograph.
Idols take shape in a workshop lane at Kumartuli, north Kolkata. Photo: Pinakpani, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
How Kumartuli's potters make Durga idols: bamboo frame, straw, Ganga clay, punya mati, painting, shola, daker saaj, chokkhu daan on Mahalaya and visiting tips.
Kumartuli and the making of Durga idols → Next story: The Durga Puja bhog plate All photo storiesMusic: Sitar sample yaman, Tito Dutta, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.