Kumartuli Potters' Quarter

Kumartuli is a neighbourhood of clay-idol makers in north Kolkata, West Bengal, India, beside the Hooghly River near Mullick Ghat and the Sovabazar area. The name comes from 'kumar', meaning potter, and for more than two centuries artisans here have shaped idols of Durga, Kali, Lakshmi, Saraswati and other deities for festivals. The narrow lanes are lined with workshops where bamboo and straw frames are bound, covered with river clay, smoothed, painted and dressed with clothing and ornaments. Idols stand half-finished in rows, with the faces of the goddess usually painted last, and visitors can watch artists at work, from the first clay layers to detailed eye painting. The busiest months are July to September, in the weeks before Durga Puja, when hundreds of large idols are completed and carried off to pandals across Bengal and abroad. Visits at that time are lively but crowded, with trucks, handcarts and families picking up commissions. Outside the season, smaller workshops remain active, producing idols for other festivals such as Kali Puja, Lakshmi Puja and Saraswati Puja. A walk through the quarter takes about one to two hours, and photography is a major draw, though visitors are expected to ask artists before taking close-up images and to avoid blocking the narrow lanes. The area is free to enter, and workshops are generally open during daytime. It is close to Sovabazar-Sutanuti Metro station and the Hooghly ghats, and can be combined with the Mullick Ghat flower market and Howrah Bridge.