These dolls come packed in elaborate packaging or found in any e-commerce portals, but they have become popular merchandise for people visiting Odisha. In this episode, we explore how the dolls made of cow dung created in the Karadagadia village of Odisha are struggling for survival.
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Made of cow dung, flowers, and paper, the dolls created in Karadagadia village deserve all the attention they can get.
Barely 70 kilometers from Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha, is a little-known village called Karadagadia. While the modest village does not grip the attention of tourists at first instance, they get hooked by the eco-friendly dolls created in the village.
How are the dolls made?
Handcrafted with minute attention to detail, the dolls made in Karadagadia village are made items readily available. The primary item used to craft these dolls is cow dung. Furthermore, discarded paper, flowers, and tamarind seeds are creatively used to create these beautiful dolls.
An article published on Village Square mentions the following:
“Making the dolls runs deep in the village. To start with, the cow dung is marinated into a fine paste. If the cow dung is thicker in texture, it is mixed with charred wood remains. If the texture is naturally thin, then it is mixed with glue to bring it to an adequate proportion of thickness. This glue is also prepared by using tamarind seeds.”
While the dolls are a popular item with certain sections of tourists, it has begun to lose its charm. The dolls made of cow dung have been overshadowed by high-end toys, which are easily available in shopping malls and e-commerce platforms.
The Village Square article mentions:
“Sadly though, the Karadagadia dolls have fallen on bad times. With high-end modern toys catching the popular imagination, the sale of toys made of cow dung is now mostly restricted to seasonal fairs and in the vicinity of temples.
The doll makers of Karadagadia have also somehow lost out on government patronage.
The famous temple and water spring of Atri are barely a kilometre away from the village. While big hoardings of Odisha tourism department publicise them, the dolls of Karadagadia find no mention in them.”
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