Kondapalli Toys And Fort On Krishna River Banks

Kondapalli is a small town located a few kilometers from Vijaywada in Andhra Pradesh. Historically located on the banks of river Krishna, it has a mighty fort on a hilltop guarding it. However, times changed and many things changed. However, what remains an unbroken tradition is the making of Kondapalli toys by traditional artists.

Kondapalli Toys

Kondapalli toys (or Bommalu in the Telugu language) you might have seen in the form of dancing dolls, with wiggling heads. They are the marquee toys of this small artisan village of Andhra. When you visit the village, you see many other varieties of toys being made in houses, mostly with open doors.

Artisan houses announce their presence with aesthetically painted front walls. They typically had red walls with while Kolams or Rangolis drawn over them and borders enhancing the boundaries of doors and windows. Some traditional toys like Bullock carts were displayed right outside the houses and little shops. Some of them were loaded with sacks of grains, depicting them as the mode of transportation. It reminded me of the carts found at Indus Valley civilization sites that I had seen at National Museum in Delhi.

As we walked around the village, we saw carved wooden frames in sparkling white lying around in the Sun. They were being dried before they can be given colors to make them look vibrant.

In the verandah of houses, we saw men and women patiently painting one toy at a time. They rarely looked up to see us passing by, or standing next to them to admire their work.

Toys for Navratri

Kondapalli toys are used for festivals like Navaratri when these toys are displayed as Golu on a tiered display. In Andhra, they are also a part of Makar Sankranti celebrations. I assume in some way they are a part of every Indian festival.

We saw beautiful Ganesha, Krishna, Dashavatar, and some other deities. The dancing dolls, sometimes also known as Thanjavur dolls are the signature toys of Kondapalli. Then there are animals and birds. We saw a lot of everyday life in these toys depicting rural professions. Then there were contemporary toys like cars and jeeps. I also saw the national emblem of India carved in wood. You would have usually seen these at government offices. I have a similar one from Nalanda. You can always request a custom-made toy or a wooden gift.

Kondapalli toys have been awarded GI or…