BJP and Hindu groups pressure Kolkata idol makers to abandon themed Durga statues
Orders for non-traditional, theme-based Durga idols at Kolkata’s Kumartuli workshop have collapsed after the BJP government and Hindu rights groups urged a return to classic designs.
Kumartuli, the historic clay-idol district of Kolkata, typically crafts between 7,000 and 7,500 Durga statues annually, of which 100-150 have been theme-based designs. This year, that figure has shrunk to under ten. The drop follows a series of requests from the state BJP government and Hindu rights organisations, including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, urging puja committees to revert to the traditional, scripturally defined iconography.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari reinforced the message in a meeting with hundreds of organizers, warning against motifs that could “distort” the deity’s sanctity. While the state has not issued a formal directive, many puja clubs have welcomed the guidance, and artisans are now finishing the limited number of approved idols ahead of the upcoming Devi Paksha.
Why it matters
The shift shows how political and religious pressure can reshape a major cultural industry and affect livelihoods of traditional artisans.
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