How this tiny village near Madurai nurtures a unique doll-making industry

In the small pottery village of Vilachery in Madurai district, Tamil Nadu, busy hands fashion colourful, traditional dolls. They are made in stages throughout the year. The basic structure is created in the summer, and layers of paint are added till July.  

The finishing touches are given before the festival season kicks off in August with Krishnashtami, followed by Ganesh Chaturthi and Navaratri. Vilachery dolls also register robust sales during Christmas. 

About 10 km from Madurai, Vilachery is home to around 300 families engaged in doll making. Almost every house in Vilachery has a workshop where mounds of clay are moulded into dolls and deities in vibrant colours. 

The doll makers use three types of materials to produce dolls. They are clay, plaster of Paris and papier-mache. 

While potters and painters have lived in Vilachery since the 1940s, the doll-making industry took root in 1965 when artisans Sadhasivam and Sooran from the Velar family started making terracotta horses offered by devotees to temples. 

Childhood passion 

Today, second or third generations in most households are continuing the craft. M Ramalingam was just seven years old when his father took him to a festival in Madurai. Watching the deity on horseback left a lasting impression on him. It inspired him to create a miniature clay model the next day as his first endeavour.

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“Observing my father’s craftsmanship, I developed a keen interest in his work and began assisting him in sculpting miniature and large statues of deities. I was also influenced by my neighbour, Sadhasivam, who specialised in traditional statue-making and temple painting for festivals like Navaratri. Recognising my enthusiasm, he formally trained me in the art,” says Ramalingam. 

By 17, Ramalingam had mastered all the necessary techniques, including moulding, sculpting, detailing, drying, baking, and painting clay sculptures. Along with studies, he diligently practised clay modelling during his free time. At 24, he established his firm, Kalpana Arts, managing production and sales.

“I design the dolls and make moulds. The measurements are important. It takes one week to make the moulds. Once the mould is ready, we can make 100 pieces a day. I make clay as well as papier-mache dolls,” he says.  

Vilachery dolls find buyers in the US, Australia, Singapore and Dubai. The ‘Dashavataram’, ‘Ashtalakshmi’, dolls of the trinity of female deities Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswathi, and wedding sets are especially popular. 

The artisans export the products with the help of merchants and agents. Some of the artisans now take orders online and ship the products directly.

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“Dolls more than two feet in height are usually made of papier-mache as they are light and easy to export,” says Arun Kumar K. While his parents made only clay dolls, he has introduced papier-mache and plaster of Paris dolls too.

The dolls have steady international customers who purchase them annually for display during festivals and cultural events. The prices start at 50 dollars for small dolls. 

“Vilachery is a hub of tradition and artistry, attracting tourists. My vision is to create a space where visitors can learn about traditional crafts, including clay doll-making, papier-mache, woodwork, stone carving, and metal artistry,” says Ramalingam. He established the first Toy Makers Association in Vilachery village and has conducted numerous training programmes, especially for women. 

Cherished legacy

During Navaratri, nearby customers make a beeline for Vilachery to pick up ‘kolu bommais’. ‘Bommai’ means doll in Tamil, while ‘kolu’ or ‘golu’ means assembly or arrangement.

The tradition of displaying kolu dolls during Navaratri has deep cultural and religious significance in South India. The colourful kolu dolls are displayed in step formation in homes. Each family makes its own theme. Families invite neighbours, friends and relatives to visit and see their kolu. They playfully vie to have the most creative and attractive kolu.  

Many times, the dolls are passed on from mothers to daughters or mothers-in-law to daughters-in-law. As a result, some customers bring old idols to Vilachery shops to be repainted.

The kolu dolls are cherished for sentimental reasons (as they are passed on through the generations) and for their aesthetic value. 

Vilachery's handcrafted clay dolls obtained the Geographical Indication or the GI tag in March 2025. However, this has not led to higher sales. Limited public awareness about the uniqueness of dolls is a challenge artisan-sellers have to face.

The state government declared Vilachery a toy-making micro cluster in 2022 and has initiated schemes to train artisans and preserve the craft.

Experienced artisans

A 2025 study on the doll-makers of Vilachery published in the ‘International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts’ (IJCRT), says that nearly half the artisans have experience of 10-30 years. They share their knowledge about dollmaking and skills with co-workers in a collaborative effort. 

On the eve of festivals, the artisans put up stalls in the bazaars and on the roadside. Many buyers prefer to buy the dolls by visiting workshops and stores in person. 

“I have been selling Vilachery dolls for the past 40 years. I have ten people working for me regularly,” says Alagar Swamy, who is 62 years old.  

He is getting ready to leave on a bus for Chennai to deliver an order and is unable to give a detailed interview. "Call me after a week,” he says. It’s boom time in business, and he has his priorities right!

How clay dolls are made 

Clay is collected from Vilachery tank and mixed with water. The tank provides a special type of clay ideal for pottery. According to doll makers, the clay is less prone to cracks or salinity effects.

The watery clay is filtered to remove stones and other impurities. The dolls are strengthened by mixing fibres from elephant dung in the clay. 

A mould is made by hand for every type of doll, which takes time. But once a mould is made, 50-100 dolls can be handmade in a day from that mould.

The clay dolls are sun-dried and also fired in a furnace at high temperatures to make them hardy. The firing gives the clay dolls a reddish hue. After they are dry, the dolls are patiently hand-painted. 

Arun says, “My family has been involved in the craft for years. Our dolls range in cost from Rs 50 to Rs 15,000. We do not get a regular income. We earn Rs 1 lakh during Vinayak Chaturthi and around Rs 3 lakh annually,” he adds. 

Some customers want the dolls only in the clay form, without painting. For the majority of customers, oil paints or water colours are applied, he explains.  

Future plans of the artisan community in Vilachery include using machines to extract soil from the tank, using cranes for transport of clay, setting up a common facility centre to store raw materials, and using electric kilns to dry the dolls. Some artisans are keen on using computer-assisted designing to make the dolls.  

“This tradition must not be lost; it must flourish so that future generations can uphold and carry it forward with pride,” says Ramalingam with determination.  

(Aruna Raghuram is a freelance journalist based in Bengaluru. She writes about people, environmental matters, parenting, DEI issues, and social/development enterprises)

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