Golu

Bomma Kolu (Golu) in Tamil, Bommala Koluvu in Telugu, Bombe Habba in Kannada.
Display of Kolu in Tamil Nadu
Also called	Navaratri Kolu
Observed by	Kannadigas, Telugus Of Kostha and Rayalaseema and Tamilians
Type	Hindu
Celebrations	Dasara
Begins	Mahalaya
Ends	Vijayadashami
Related to	Navratri

Bommai Kolu/ Bomma Golu/ Bombe Habba is a doll and figurine display festival celebrated during the festival of Navratri in Southern India, it is customary in the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh .

Bommai Kolu in Tamil means Divine Presence. Bommala Koluvu in Telugu means Court of Toys and Bombe Habba means Doll Festival. is part of Dasara festival where young girls and women display dolls, figurine, court life, everyday scenes along with the divine presence of the Goddesses Saraswati, Parvati and Laxmi in the Tamil, Kannada and Andhra Telugu households during Navaratri or The Nine nights.

On the first day of Navaratri, following Ganapathi pooja, a welcoming ritual is performed for goddesses Saraswati, Parvati and Lakshmi by Hindu ritual called Kalasa Avahanam which is performed by an elderly male or female of the family. This is then followed by building a rack of odd-numbered shelves of Kolu (or Padi) (usually 3, 5, 7, 9, or 11), set up using wooden planks. After the Kolu has been covered with fabric it is then adorned with various dolls, figurines and toys according to their size, with the deities at the top.

The Kolu is predominantly displayed with depictions from Puranas, court life, royal procession, ratha yatra, weddings, everyday scenes, miniature kitchen utensils, anything a little girl would have played with. Most of the wooden toys displayed come from traditional toy-makers in Etikoppaka, Kondapalli, Kinnal and Channapatna. It is a traditional practice to have wooden figurines of the bride and groom together, called 'Marapacchi Bommai' or 'Pattada Gombe', usually made of sandalwood, teak or rosewood and decorated with new clothes each year before being displayed on the Kolu. In southern India, bride is presented with 'Marapacchi Bommai' during the wedding by her parents as part of wedding trousseau to initiate the yearly tradition of 'Navaratri Golu' in her new home with her husband. These dolls come as couples dressed in their wedding attire, depicting husband and wife symbolizing prosperity and fertility and the start of the bride's Gollu collection. Display figurines are passed on from one generation to another as heirloom. In old Mysore area 'Pattada Gombe' is also believed to be a tribute to the Wodeyars the benevolent and progressive monarchs who ruled of the region for around 600 years.