The Traditional Toy-Making Heritage of India: Dolls, Stories and Regional Craftsmanship

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By Zeel Sundhani

13 min read

  • India
  • Travel
  • Home Décor
  • Art

    • Table of Contents

    1. Understanding India’s traditional toy heritage
    2. Golu Dolls
    3. Nirmal toys
    4. Channapatna toys
    5. Handpainted stick dolls
    6. Leather puppets, dolls and toys
    7. Terracotta dolls
    8. Kathputli
    9. Other toys and dolls from across India
    10. Why these toy traditions are disappearing
    11. Why preservation of toy-making traditions matters today

    India’s history of toy-making goes back thousands of years, forming an artistic and cultural thread that runs from the terracotta figurines of the Harappan civilisation to the handcrafted dolls still made in pockets of rural India today. These toys were not created merely for play. They also functioned as storytelling companions, ritual accessories, teaching tools and miniature carriers of a community’s shared imagination. Every region shaped its toys from its own environment, echoing local mythologies, seasonal rhythms, village occupations and the visual sensibilities of daily life. Although many toy-making practices are now becoming fragile, their cultural richness remains vast and remarkable.

    Understanding India’s traditional toy heritage

    Toys have been a part of Indian culture for centuries, right from the terracotta animal figurines of ancient settlements like Harappa, sculptural motifs found in temples to props used in folk theatre and the everyday creativity of families who moulded dolls from cloth, clay or wood. These toys are a reflection of the people and the society, a way to introduce children to their community life. For example, terracotta animals and carts discovered at various sites of the Indus Valley Civilisation, display the use of animals in agriculture and transport.

    Toys and Civilization

    The materials used for these toys were always closely tied to the land. like terracotta from river clay, softwood from deciduous forests, leather from pastoral cultures, papier-mache from temple towns, bamboo and fibre from northeast India and dyes from plants and minerals.

    Each community developed its own aesthetic language. Some toys were meant for devotional display, others were used in children’s storytelling games, while several formed part of ritual performances. The diversity of India’s toy making reflects regional identities, revealing a rich material culture where imagination and craftsmanship intertwined.

    Through this blog, let us explore a few traditional toys and dolls of India that are still made.

    Golu Dolls

    Golu dolls are central to the Navaratri celebrations in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. During this festival, families create stepped displays in their homes and arrange dolls depicting gods, goddesses, devotees, rural occupations, mythological episodes and everyday Golu dolls are central to the Navaratri celebrations in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. During this festival, families create stepped displays in their homes and arrange dolls depicting gods, goddesses, devotees, rural occupations, mythological episodes and everyday scenes. Traditionally made from terracotta or papier-mache, Golu dolls are handpainted with earthy reds, greens, blues and yellows derived from natural pigments.

    Dancing Kathakali in Golu doll by Baskaran Natarajan

    The dolls often appear in narrative sets: Krishna with gopis, village marketplaces, marriages, musical ensembles or scenes from the Ramayana and Bhagavata Purana.

    Madurai Koodal Azhagar In Golu doll by Baskaran Natarajan

    Meenakshi Kalyanam in Golu doll by Baskaran Natarajan

    Over generations, families build extensive Golu collections, passing them down like heirlooms. Their importance lies not just in their craftsmanship but in their role as part of an intergenerational ritual where storytelling, memory and community converge.

    Golu dolls are kept during Navaratri as a way of inviting the divine feminine into the home and creating a miniature universe that narrates myths, honours ancestors and celebrates the rhythms of life. The stepped display becomes a visual scripture where different scenes unfold through carefully arranged figurines, allowing families, especially children, to learn stories, values and cultural memory in an intuitive, playful manner. The tradition reinforces community ties through visits, songs and shared offerings, while also symbolising fertility, prosperity and the renewal of nature, as seen in the inclusion of the marapachi bommai pair and seasonal motifs linked to agriculture.

    Many families preserve heirloom sets, making the Golu an intergenerational archive that grows year after year. The dolls themselves are typically handcrafted by artisans using terracotta or papier-mache, where clay is kneaded, moulded or cast into basic forms, dried in the sun and kiln-fired, papier-mache versions are built around clay moulds using layers of paper pulp and natural adhesives. Once dry, the figures are coated with a base layer of lime or chalk powder, sanded smooth and then painted using natural or synthetic pigments, before receiving fine detailing for ornaments, facial features and textiles.

    Drying of the Golu Dolls

    Source: Vinoth Baskaran, Vinoth Baskaran, Golu Dolls, March 18, 2025, March 18, 2025.

    In some regions, wooden Golu dolls are carved from softwood, polished and painted with bright hues inspired by temple murals and folk theatre. Through this blend of ritual, storytelling and skilled craftsmanship, Golu becomes a living cultural theatre, one that gathers memory, devotion and artistry into a single festive act.

    To know more about Golu dolls, check out our other blogs

    Check out our entire collection of Golu dolls here

    Nirmal toys

    Nirmal toys originate from the historic art town of Nirmal in present-day Telangana, a centre renowned for its painting tradition since at least the 17th century. These toys are carved from softwood, typically poniki wood and then coated with a special lacquer before being painted with delicate brushwork. Floral borders, refined shading and smooth varnished surfaces define the Nirmal look.

    The subjects, while mostly inspired by animals, also depict musicians, dancers, rural women, decorative figurines and courtly scenes. Nirmal toys are often prized for their elegance and finish, representing a blend of sculptural carving and miniature-like painting traditions.

    Tiger In Nirmal toys by Sai Kiran

    Check out our entire collection of Nirmal toys here

    Channapatna toys

    Channapatna toys from Karnataka have a long lineage dating back to the time of Tipu Sultan, who is believed to have encouraged Persian-trained artisans to teach lacquer-turnery in the region. The toys are made from sustainable hale wood, which absorbs colour beautifully and finished using natural lac pigments derived from vegetable sources.

    Bright, glossy rattles, spinning tops, bead chains, stacking dolls, birds, animals and geometric forms are characteristic of Channapatna craft.

    Channapatna Toy Village

    Their smooth finish and child-friendly design have made them not only a cultural symbol of Karnataka but also popular globally. Channapatna’s GI tag recognises its importance as one of India’s most environmentally conscious toy traditions.

    Handpainted stick dolls

    Handpainted stick dolls belong to a simple yet expressive toy tradition found in Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and parts of Maharashtra. Made from slender wooden sticks, the dolls feature painted faces, tiny ornaments and small cloth garments. Their lightweight structure made them ideal for children’s storytelling games, festive plays and impromptu performances.

    These dolls typically represent village characters like farmers, washerwomen, potters, weavers, dancers, mythological figures or seasonal festival icons. In some regions, they are used in folk performances where a storyteller could switch characters rapidly simply by lifting a new stick doll. Their charm lies in their immediacy, as they are quick to make, quick to animate and rich in local personality.

    Stick Dolls by Sawant Bhonsle

    Leather puppets, dolls and toys

    Leather toys trace their roots to the shadow-puppet traditions of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra such as Tholu Bommalata, Togalu Gombeyaata and Chamadyacha Bahulya. These puppets were originally crafted from translucent goat or sheep leather, which glows beautifully when lit during performances.

    Andhra Pradesh is home to one of India’s oldest and most sophisticated shadow-puppet traditions, known as Tholu Bommalata, a vibrant form of storytelling in which translucent leather puppets are animated against a glowing screen. Tholu Bommalata literally means “the dance of leather dolls” and its origins go back at least a millennium, emerging from temple storytelling, bardic performance and early folk theatre. The puppets are crafted from treated goat or deer hide, meticulously cut, perforated and coloured with natural dyes to create jewel-like luminosity when lit from behind. Artisans articulate the limbs with multiple joints, allowing the puppets to move with remarkable expressiveness. Performances traditionally narrate episodes from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and local legends, accompanied by singers, percussion, wind instruments and narration. The puppeteers belong to hereditary communities who not only carve and paint their own puppets but also preserve vast oral repertoires. Tholu Bommalata shows historically travelled from village to village during festivals, drawing large crowds for all-night storytelling.

    Vibrant Tales: Exploring Andhra's Leather Puppet Art by Sindhe Sriramulu

    Woman in Tholu by Kanday Anjannappa

    To know more about Tholu Bommalata, read our other blogs

    Check out our entire collection of Tholu Bommalata puppets here

    In Kerala, the shadow-puppet tradition takes a different form in Tholpavakoothu, a ritual art dedicated exclusively to the goddess Bhadrakali. Performed in specially built theatre-temple structures called koothumadams, Tholpavakoothu retells the entire Kamba Ramayana over as many as 21 nights during the annual temple festival season. The puppets, made from buffalo or goat hide, are intricately carved into lace-like silhouettes rather than brightly coloured figures, an aesthetic that emphasises form, cutwork and dramatic shadow play. Unlike secular puppetry traditions, Tholpavakoothu is a sacred offering, performed as a ritual duty rather than entertainment. The puppeteers, known as Pulavar families, undergo years of training in recitation, puppetry techniques, temple protocol and classical texts. The performance is supported by chenda, maddalam, cymbals and resonant chanting, creating a powerful theatrical atmosphere. Each puppet represents a specific character form and its movement must adhere strictly to ritual codes passed down through generations.

    Ravana in Tholpavakoothu by Rajeev Pulavar

    To know more about Tholpavakoothu puppets, check out our other blog

    Check out our entire collection of Tholpavakoothu puppets here

    Artisans skilled in puppet-making later adapted their knowledge to create leather dolls and toys with vivid colours and intricate cutwork patterns. These toys often depict mythological characters, animals, dancers and musicians. In regions like Indore, the leather toy tradition gained new expression through artisans like Nandram, who developed distinctive three-dimensional leather figurines based on puppet-making techniques.

    Daring Equilibrium: Leather artwork by Nandram

    Check out our entire collection of leather toys here

    Read this blog to learn more about the different puppetry traditions of India

    Terracotta dolls

    Terracotta dolls represent one of India’s most ancient craft traditions. From Harappan figurines to medieval temple-town pottery and village craft clusters today, terracotta dolls have maintained a continuous presence. Made from locally sourced clay, shaped by hand or mould and fired in simple kilns, they often retain the natural reddish-brown tone of the earth.

    Many regions developed their own variants: the bold, stylised Bankura horses of Bengal, the tribal figurines of Bastar, the clay toys of Uttar Pradesh’s Nandgaon and Mathura and the rural scenes sculpted in Gujarat or Odisha. Terracotta toys often portray animals, deities, human figures and scenes from daily life, functioning both as children’s toys and votive offerings.

    Traditional Doll in Terracotta art by Dolon Kundu

    Mother and Daughter in Terracotta Art by Dolon Kundu

    Kathputli

    Kathputli, the iconic string puppets of Rajasthan, occupy a unique space between toys and performing arts. Traditionally made by the Bhat community, these puppets have exaggerated painted features, bright costumes and striking gestures. They perform folk tales, romantic epics, heroic sagas and comic stories accompanied by music and narration.

    Kathputli shows were once a primary medium of public storytelling in Rajasthan. The puppets can embody kings, queens, warriors, musicians, dancers and trickster figures, each rhythmically animated through strings. While widely recognised today as decorative souvenirs, their deeper identity is tied to the living performing traditions of Rajasthan.

    Rajasthani couple in Kathputli by local artisan

    Man and Woman in Kathputli by local artisan

    Other toys and dolls from across India

    Across the country, numerous regional toy styles enrich India’s craft landscape. In Karnataka, Kinnal and Kinnur toys are closely linked to temple rituals and are painted in bright colours with mythological themes. Tamil Nadu’s Tanjore dancing dolls,crafted with bobble-head mechanisms, sway gracefully with even the slightest movement, reflecting classical dance aesthetics.

    Assamese tribal dolls made from bamboo, fibre and cloth mirror the attire and social customs of communities such as the Bodo, Mising and Karbi. In Varanasi, Ramnagar clay dolls play an important role during the Ramlila festivities, often created as ritual pieces. Kondapalli toys of Andhra Pradesh, carved from softwood and painted in pastel hues, depict pastoral scenes, rural communities and playful animal forms. Each of these traditions is based on the seasons, rituals and material culture of its region.

    Why these toy traditions are disappearing

    Despite their cultural richness, many traditional toy-making traditions face decline. Mass-produced plastic toys, available cheaply and in large quantities, have displaced handmade alternatives in many households. The earnings from traditional toys remain low compared to the time required to craft them, discouraging younger artisans from continuing their family trades. Changes in festival practices, shifting lifestyles and the disappearance of seasonal fairs have reduced demand for many ritual and narrative toy forms. Materials like natural dyes, special woods and handcrafted tools have become more difficult and expensive to source. Many regional styles remain undocumented, leaving their survival dependent on a shrinking group of artisans.

    Why preservation of toy-making traditions matters today

    Preserving toy-making traditions is vital because these objects carry cultural knowledge that cannot be recreated by industrial production. They preserve local stories, attire, rituals, agricultural systems and social histories. Traditional toy-making also demonstrates sustainable craft practices like using local materials, biodegradable substances and hand-made methods. Safeguarding these crafts provides livelihoods to artisans, protects intangible cultural heritage and enriches children’s exposure to handmade, meaningful objects.

    Giving these traditions a future requires conscious purchasing, fair pricing, education, documentation and renewed appreciation for handmade toys.

    India’s traditional toys and dolls hold within them the imaginative worlds of villages, temples, forests, festivals and families. They are storytellers shaped from wood, clay, leather, fibre and cloth, functioning as objects that carry generations of memory and artistry. Supporting the artisans who keep these traditions alive ensures that the next generation inherits not just toys, but the cultural stories and human creativity that they embody. These handmade toys continue to remind us that the simplest objects often hold the deepest histories and that India’s toy-making heritage deserves both recognition and preservation.

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