Marapachi Bommai Dolls

Marapachi Bommai (meaning Wooden dolls) are a legacy passed on from one generation to another in the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andra Pradesh. These vintage dolls which are usually in a pair as a bride and groom are displayed in living rooms of houses. During Navaratri they form a part of the Golu display done in households. These sentimental figures are given by mothers to newlywed couples as wedding presents, and represent the happily married bride and groom.

This pair male and female figures have heavily stylised forms with swollen bodies and limbs decorated with finely etched garments and jewels. The heads have small eyes that stare ahead; the hands are stiffly out to the side, bent in unnatural angles. The dolls are generally kept unclothed but are sometimes decorated with clothes.