Eclectic 'Gombe habba' themes light up Dasara festivities in Bengaluru

Gombe, as dolls are called in Kannada, have been dusted off, brought down from the attics, and made to adorn the drawing rooms of households as part of the Dasara festivities across Bengaluru.

This tradition of arranging dolls of gods, goddesses and other contemporary figurines has transcended time, becoming a cherished cultural heritage that connects generations.

This year, the celestial dolls are also rubbing shoulders with characters from Mani Ratnam's magnum opus, Ponniyin Selvam.

Several Bengalureans spoke to DH about their love for the tradition of 'Gombe habba' or the doll festival. 

Padma Udayakumar, a resident of Mahalakshmi Layout, said, “We have a pair of brass patada gombe in our home, which is quite unique.” The theme of her habba is ‘Vaikunta Dwaram’ (the door to Lord Vishnu's abode), where she has paid attention to intricate details like the vimana gopura (the temple dome) and dashavatara (the 10 forms of Lord Vishnu). 

“Our yearly themes enable us to pass on our culture to the next generation through visual learning,” Padma added.

Sandhya Jayaram, a resident of Vijaynagar, considered the dolls more than mere decorations; they are a medium of storytelling.

“Every year, we arrange dolls based on themes. This year, my theme revolves around a story of a goddess, who goes to a town to protect and free it from evil forces,” she said.

She has also paid a special tribute to late actor, Puneeth Rajkumar, by creating a doll-themed park in his honour.

Uma Maheshwari, another resident of Vijaynagar, said, “This year, my theme revolves around dolls from Jagannathapuri and a wedding set. As we are set to celebrate a wedding at home, we have dolls to match the occasion.”

Prithvi C Shastry, residing in Seshadripuram, presented a diverse collection, ranging from dashavatara in mud and carved in sandalwood to Ashtalakshmi, Rama Pattabhisheka (victory of Lord Ram), and Shiva’s divine family in Kailasa. 

“We have kept couches from Port Blair, Thanjavur dolls, walnut artifacts from Kashmir, and artifacts from across the world,” she added.

Demand for handmade dolls

Srikanth, founder of the Chennai-based doll factory Sri Kolhapuri, said that there was an increasing demand for handmade dolls during Dasara from Karnataka, Andhra, Tamil Nadu, and from across the world.

“The hit theme for this year is Ponniyin Selvan. We plan the themes based on customers' interest,” he said.

A doll-themed park in the honour of late actor Puneeth Rajkumar.