Bengaluru, 21 Oct

As the Navarathri festival takes over hearts and homes, a woman in the City has decked up her home in Jakkur with more than 500 dolls.

City-based HR professional Subha Murugan has been arranging dolls at her home for Navarathri every year since 2002 with a distinct theme every year. 

This year, she has chosen the theme 'Ashta Veerattam', which showcases the eight Shiva temples of Tamil Nadu. Each temple is depicted with intricate figurines crafted by artists to tell its story. 

To make her doll display more enchanting, Subha has recreated her village, Kulasekarapattinam in the Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu, and the beloved Mutthumariamman temple within her doll exhibit. The miniature village is complete with fruit and vegetable vendors, cobblers, and a lively village fair.

What makes Subha's collection truly unique is that she doesn't just acquire dolls from stores but also rescues discarded ones from scrap shops. She has found many ancient pieces that the scrap shop sellers wanted to throw away. She got them and had artists fix the dolls or paint them, accordingly.

“I have support from my parents, my mother-in-law and my husband completely. Everyone in my family and friends' circle gives me dolls because of my passion towards Navarathri. After seeing my models of Ashta Veerattam temples, a lot of my friends said they would be visiting these temples. It made me feel happy and satisfied and that is what makes me want to do better every year.”

The dolls are arranged in nine steps, representing the nine forms of devotion in Hinduism. The collection includes depictions of Ashtalakshmi (eight manifestations of goddess Lakshmi), scenes from the Ramayana, Dashavatara (the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu), and unique figurines of Goddesses Saraswathi and Meenakshi. Subha has also included displays of school activities, Mysuru Dasara, a Hindu and Christian wedding, and a representation of Kailasa, the residence of Lord Shiva, to align with her theme. 

What initially started as a way to make friends has transformed into a deep-seated passion for Subha. For the next year, she has already planned to feature the 12 Jyotirlingas, temples considered manifestations of Lord Shiva, as her theme for the Navarathri festival. —Salar News