The Navaratri golu doll makers of Madurai

The village, which is home to 200 families of artisans, is throbbing as the streets are dotted with colourful idols wrapped and packed, ready to be sent to various places. The demand for Kanchi Athi Varadhar dolls are higher this year, says M. Ramalingam, an artisan, who has been in the business for 35 years. “The customers are frequenting the area for custom-made dolls. This year customers have placed orders for innovative sets like dolls depicting the life of goddess Meenakshi and a gram panchayat model,” he says.

Customers from across the State, including places such as Theni, Dindigul and Sivakasi, and even from far away Bengaluru visit the shops to buy dolls. “I have come from Bengaluru just to buy dolls from Vilachery as the dolls are economical. Unlike the retail shops, we can buy custom-made dolls here,” says S. Muthukumar.