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Twenty artisans have put up close to 30 stalls at the Poompuhar retail outlet in Coimbatore city displaying dolls made of clay, wood, terracotta, and so on, for Navarathri.

The kolu doll exhibition, inaugurated by Minister V. Sampathkumar at the outlet on Friday (September 25) in the presence of District Collector Pavankumar G. Giriyappanavar, has an artisan from Thanjavur apart from the local artisans.

From Lords Muruga and Krishna to the goddesses and the life of Lord Rama, clay and paper mache dolls standing on the kolu steps welcome the visitors. Cardboard models of temples, iconic places, and historical events, colourful handmade clay dolls, the traditional Marapachi dolls of different sizes, wooden carts and houses, and brass idols line up the tables inside the showroom of the Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation Limited.

Among the return gifts and kolu decorations are terracotta lamps, bells, kitchen sets, and planters; ladels, spoons, and cups made of coconut shells; mats and coasters woven with banana fibre; bottle gourd hangers; and incense sticks and dhoop.

High cost of paints and metals have driven the prices up this year for not only industrial goods, but handmade dolls too. Yet, the Poompuhar is targetting sales worth ₹75 lakh from the Coimbatore outlet’s kolu exhibition. The special sales will be on till the end of October, said P. Anandhan, manager in-charge of Poompuhar, Coimbatore.