At Joy Durga Bhandar, a workshop in north Kolkata’s Kumartuli, Koushik Ghosh begins an idol with a framework of bamboo and wood tied together with jute rope. From this base come the sculpted figures, decorations and layers of colour that devotees see during Durga Puja.
Koushik knows this process well. For generations, artisans in Kumartuli have worked with bamboo, straw and clay, shaping idols by hand for Kolkata’s Durga Puja celebrations.
Over time, many workshops also adopted thermocol decorations, synthetic paints and plastic ornaments because they were quicker or cheaper to use.
Koushik is looking for ways to bring more traditional materials back into his work.
“The frame, the clay, the straw, those were always ours. The thermocol and the chemical colours came later, because they were cheaper and faster. I am going back to what was here before,” he says.
The straw framework gives the idol its shape before artisans add the first layers of clay.
He is working towards idols decorated with natural clay, shola (the soft pith of a plant used for delicate ornaments) and natural colours instead of thermocol.
Every year, after Durga Puja, thousands of idols are immersed in the Hooghly River and other water bodies. In 2025, around 5,200 idols were immersed across 34 major Hooghly ghats and approximately 30 other water bodies in Kolkata and nearby suburbs, according to The Times of India.
Civic workers clear debris from immersion sites, but thermocol and plastic decorations need careful collection and disposal because they can persist in the environment.
Neel, a volunteer who has spent several seasons cleaning the Hooghly’s banks near Babughat, remembers finding thermocol floating on the surface, coloured residue near the banks, and plastic decorations gathering along the ghats.
Kumartuli’s workshops have produced clay idols for Kolkata’s Durga Puja for generations.
For Koushik, the challenge is to make the decorations less wasteful while keeping the craft affordable for the families who depend on it.
From bamboo frames to Durga’s eyes: Inside the craft of Kumartuli
Walking through Kumartuli’s narrow lanes, the smell of wet clay is difficult to miss.
The neighbourhood, whose name comes from kumor (potter) and tuli (neighbourhood quarter), has been home to idol makers for more than three centuries. Its workshops stand between Rabindra Sarani and the Hooghly, the river that has long supplied the fine alluvial soil used in their craft.
Traditionally known as Ganga maati, this clay is softer and finer than ordinary earth, allowing artisans to sculpt delicate features.
Artisans shape clay over the bamboo-and-straw framework before adding finer details and colour.
At Koushik’s workshop, everything begins with the kathamo (a framework made from bamboo and wood).
“The frame is not just engineering,” he explains. “It is the first thing she stands on.”
The structure must support the central Durga figure, accompanying figures, a lion and other sculpted elements.
Next comes khar bandha (tying straw around the frame). Carefully shaped bundles of straw form the arms, waist, chest and other features. If the straw is tied incorrectly, the figure may lose its balance or the clay may crack.
The first clay layer is entel mati (sticky clay mixed with tush, or rice husk). It takes about three to four days to dry.
Straw and clay form the idol’s limbs, which must be balanced before the finer layers are applied.
Artisans then apply bele mati (finer, smoother clay), allowing another five or six days for drying, depending on the weather. Any cracks are repaired with fresh mud.
Faces, hands and other delicate parts are often made separately using chhach (moulds), helping workshops manage the large number of orders they receive.
The final detailing includes chokkhudaan (painting the eyes). Some artisans specialise in this stage because even a slight difference in the brushstrokes can change the expression of the figure.
This process has remained largely familiar across generations.
A Durga idol includes accompanying figures and a lion, all assembled before the final decoration.
The changes have come in the materials used for decoration and finishing.
Earlier, artisans relied on bamboo, straw, jute, shola and natural pigments. Tamarind-seed gum, chalk powder and starch made from boiled arrowroot were used to prepare and finish colours.
As demand grew, thermocol became popular for chaal (decorative backdrops), mukut (crowns) and ornaments. Synthetic paints offered brighter colours, while plastic jewellery entered some workshops.
These alternatives were quicker, cheaper and easier to work with when deadlines were approaching.
The extra work behind a natural finish
Gopal, a veteran artisan who remembers making idols before thermocol became common, understands why workshops adopted it.
He recalls decorating traditional sabeki pratima (traditional-style idols) with shola, cloth, zari and daaker saaj (traditional decorative work).
Handmade clay figures require repeated shaping and drying, adding to an artisan’s working hours.
“Shola was beautiful, but it took time. Thermocol came because it was fast and cheap. If you remove thermocol now and don’t give me shola at the same price and within the same time, I am just working slower for the same money,” he says.
Thermocol is lightweight, easy to cut and relatively inexpensive. Shola, jute, handmade paper, paper pulp, bamboo and clay ornaments may require more time and skill, and sometimes cost more.
Natural colours create another difficulty.
Asha, who manages colouring and finishing work at a Kumartuli studio, says buyers have grown accustomed to the bright, uniform finish of synthetic paints.
“Natural colour is more beautiful if you know how to look at it. But the buyer is standing under LED lights in the pandal. They want brightness. Softness looks like less work to them, even when it is more,” she explains.
Colouring and decoration come after sculpting, with buyers often expecting a bright, even finish.
This expectation has financial consequences.
Koushik points to raw-material prices, labour, drying time and the risk of damage as factors that can raise the cost of working with natural materials.
Handmade decorations take more hours. Natural colours need careful application. During the monsoon, wet clay can also take longer to dry.
In the final weeks of a season, artisans often work long hours to meet delivery dates, using fans and tarpaulins to manage damp conditions.
Koushik has not lost an idol to rain, but the possibility remains with every order that needs additional drying time.
Artisans use fans and tarpaulins to manage damp conditions while working to Puja deadlines.
The bigger challenge is recovering these expenses.
There is no fixed price for a Durga idol. The cost depends on its height, design, decorations, arrangement of figures and the buyer’s budget. Even two idols of the same height can have different prices.
Costs differ by design, materials and year, so there is no single price difference between idols using natural decorations and those made with synthetic alternatives.
For a small workshop, even a modest unplanned expense can make a difference.
“If the idol has to be eco-friendly and the client wants the same finish as a synthetic-painted one, one of us has to absorb the difference. Usually, it is us,” Asha says.
The cost of an idol depends on its size, design, decorative materials and time spent finishing it.
A South Kolkata Puja committee organiser, who requested anonymity, describes the buyer’s dilemma. His committee relies on contributions from neighbourhood families, so any increase in an idol’s price or change in its appearance must be discussed with the people paying for it.
Gopal believes buyers and artisans should agree on materials and costs when placing an order. That would help workshops plan their purchases without bearing unexpected expenses themselves.
After the idols are immersed, what is left in the Hooghly?
Idol immersion is an important part of Durga Puja. The environmental concern lies with synthetic decorations and paints that may enter the water or be left on the banks unless they are removed and collected.
Thermocol and plastic do not biodegrade easily and can break into smaller fragments that remain in the environment. Some synthetic paints contain heavy metals that can affect water quality.
Decorative paints and plastic ornaments may leave residues that require post-immersion collection.
A Central Pollution Control Board study conducted between 1993 and 1995 estimated that idol immersions released 32 tonnes of colours and 16.8 tonnes of varnish and garjan oil annually into the Hooghly during that period.
These colours contained metals including lead, mercury and chromium, according to findings reported by Down To Earth.
These are historical findings, not a measure of present-day pollution. They help explain why safer materials and careful post-immersion clean-ups matter.
The CPCB’s revised guidelines of May 2020 call for natural, biodegradable idols, discourage toxic synthetic paints and restrict thermocol, plastic and plaster of Paris.
CPCB guidelines favour biodegradable idols and discourage thermocol, plastic and toxic paints.
West Bengal’s 2018 immersion rules require natural clay and bamboo, prohibit plaster of Paris and toxic colours, and place responsibilities on Puja committees and local authorities.
Decorative thermocol has also been prohibited under national single-use plastic restrictions effective from July 2022.
For workshops, switching materials works best when decisions are made before production begins.
In August 2025, The Times of India reported that police were conducting awareness drives and inspections at Kumartuli and other idol-making centres.
West Bengal’s immersion rules call for natural clay and bamboo and prohibit toxic colours.
Artisans interviewed for that report asked for guidance six to eight months before Durga Puja, when orders and material choices can still be changed. Koushik agrees that natural decorations need to be planned from the start.
A 25-YO idol maker puts paper pulp & plant colours to the test
A few workshops have already begun experimenting with alternatives.
Ritwik, a 25-year-old third-generation idol maker, has been testing paper pulp for ornaments and plant-based colours for the faces of idols.
After attending an awareness workshop, he brought back samples of gerua (an earth-based red pigment), turmeric-based colours and dyes derived from plants.
He began trying them on small clay surfaces before using them on larger figures.
“The look is different. Not worse, actually; I think it is more beautiful. But it is older-looking. Some clients like that. Some think I made a mistake. It depends on whether they know what they are seeing,” he says.
Artisans testing plant-based pigments say their finishes can look different from synthetic paints.
The softer, slightly uneven appearance resembles the finish of traditional idols made before synthetic paints became widespread.
There is no reliable figure for how many Kumartuli workshops have completely moved away from thermocol.
During the reporter’s visits, thermocol decorations and synthetic paints were still visible in workshops. Experiments with natural alternatives were promising, but had yet to become the norm.
With thousands of idols made in Kumartuli each season, these material choices can add up.
According to a September 2026 report in The Telegraph, around 166 studios produce close to 8,500 idols in a season, with turnover exceeding ₹200 crore in the previous year.
A 2026 report estimated around 166 Kumartuli studios making close to 8,500 idols each season.
Koushik and other artisans say a broader shift will depend on affordable traditional materials, clear specifications from buyers and guidance shared well before production begins.
A reliable supply of shola, jute and natural pigments would also make it easier for workshops to plan ahead.
What a painted tile shows about the choice
At Gopal’s workshop, a painted tile offers another way to compare the materials.
One strip was coloured with synthetic paint, the other with natural pigment. Gopal left both exposed through the previous monsoon to see how they changed.
The synthetic strip remained uniform; the natural one developed warmer, slightly uneven edges.
Gopal did not declare either better. For him, the contrast shows how a natural finish may differ from what buyers are accustomed to.
Natural pigments can create a different finish, while handmade ornaments take time. These differences need to be part of the discussion when an idol is commissioned.
Traditional clay figures are moulded and dried before receiving their colours and decorations.
Koushik is working to bring more of the materials his craft has long relied on back into use.
Buyers can help by agreeing on materials and budgets early; timely guidance and access to affordable supplies could help more workshops do the same.
Behind every idol are weeks of skilled labour. Choices about paint, decorations and post-immersion waste collection matter both to the artisans and to the river near their workshops.
For Koushik, the goal is practical: honour an old craft, reduce the amount of synthetic waste entering the Hooghly and make sure artisans can still earn a fair living.
All images courtesy Akhil Rajarathinam
