Golu is a South Indian festival celebrated during Navratri where dolls representing gods, goddesses, mythological scenes and social hierarchy are displayed on an ascending staircase. It is observed in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, as well as some Tamil communities in Sri Lanka. The dolls are arranged from ordinary humans at the bottom to gods/goddesses at the top. Golu is celebrated to worship the goddesses Saraswati, Parvati and Lakshmi during Navratri. It involves visiting homes to admire Golu decorations and eating sondal. The festival aims to dredge canals by increasing demand for clay during the post-monsoon

1. Golu – The Indian Festival of

2. Who celebrates Golu?
It is customary in
the states of Tamil
Nadu, Kerala, Andhr
a
Pradesh & Karnatak
a, as well as in
some Tamil
communities within
Sri Lanka, to display
Kolu.

3. What does
the word
“Golu”
mean?

4. Meaning of Golu ….
 In Tamil, it
means
 Court or Divine
Presence
 In Telugu they
call it Bommala
Koluvu which
means “Court of
Dolls”
GOLU

5. When do we celebrate Golu?
 Golu is celebrated during the 9 days of
Navratri
 The last day is Vijaya Dasami or Dasera

6. Why do we celebrate Golu?
Golu represents the
divine presence of
3
Goddesses Sarasw
ati, Parvati and
Laxmi in the
Kannada ,Telugu
and Tamil
households during
Navaratri (Nine
nights).

7. The Kolu is a festival of dolls …
 Predominantly with that of the gods and
goddesses depicting mythology and typical
village scenes.

12.  It is a traditional
practice to have at
least some wooden
dolls.
 There should also
be a figurine of a
boy and a girl
together called
'Marapacchi'
Bommai” –
meaning Wooden
Dolls.

13.  How many steps does a typical
Golu have?

15. Why 9 steps or padis?
 9 ways to worship Devi (Devi =
Goddess)
 9 planets or Navagrahas.
 And of course, 9 ratris! (ratri = night)

16. If you can’t do 9 then….
it should be in odd number of
tiers such as like 3, 5, and 7.

17. From the
bottom to
top, the
length of
the steps
should
reduce

18. Which dolls sit where?
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Insects and Reptiles
Birds
Animals
Ordinary Human Beings
Noble Persons – Freedom
Fighters etc
Enlightened Ones
Gods & Goddesses
Gods & Goddesses
Kalasam (Holy Pot)

19. What does this mean?
 If, ordinary human beings have good thoughts
and does good to others, they will be raised to
great men, then to saints and finally merge
with God.
 On the other hand, if they tend to have bad
thoughts and do evil to others he will go down
to animal level and step by step become an
insect in future lives!

20. The science of Golu
Why are clay statue and doll based festivals
celebrated towards end of or after the
rains?
Examples
Golu
Ganesh Chaturti
Durga Puja

21. To remove excess mud / clay …
 Such festivals increase demand for clay
 The clay suppliers take out the clay from
canals and river beds
 This results in automatic dredging and de-
silting and prevents future flooding
Smart No  ?

22. What do people do on Golu
days?
 Visit each others houses to admire Golu
decorations, for haldi kumkum, sings songs,

23. Eat SOOOONDAL  ….
SOONDAL – a spicy dish made of boiled gram or beans or groundnuts

24. Did you know Golu is
celebrated in Japan too !!!! ?

25. The Japanese
call it
Hinamatsuri ,
that is Doll's
Day or Girls'
Day.
They celebrate it
on March 3rd

26. Red carpet
covered Platforms
are used to display
a set of ornamental
dolls representing
the Emperor,
Empress,
attendants, and
musicians in
traditional court
dress.
Court of Dolls 