Dasara dolls and the bombe habba in Mysuru

In Mysuru, Dasara is the biggest festival of the year, and for many families it is also the season of the bombe habba, the festival of dolls. For nine nights, homes set up a display of dolls on a set of steps, usually an odd number, five, seven or nine, and neighbours visit each evening to see them. It is also our busiest season of the year.

The arrangement has a traditional order. The top step holds the gods and goddesses, often with a pair of pattada gombe, the wooden bride and groom dolls passed down through generations. Lower steps show saints, scenes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, and then everyday life: a market, a wedding procession, a village fair. The bottom steps are where children have the most fun, building a park, a zoo or a railway station.

Many families add one new doll each year, often chosen by the youngest child. Channapatna toys suit the lower steps well. Our nesting dolls make a family group, the jhoola swing becomes a playground, and the steam train runs along the bottom step. We also stock a small range of Channapatna marapachi-style couples for the top step from August.

If you are setting up your first display, start simple: three steps covered with a white cloth, a pair of dolls at the top and a scene or two below. Add a small lamp and some flowers. The best displays we see are the ones children help arrange themselves. Order by mid-September; Navaratri week is too late for delivery outside Mysuru.