| S VENKATESHWARAN |
Nanganallur has started wearing a festive look with Navarathri
preparations picking up across the locality. With Navarathri set
to begin Sunday, October 11, 2026, residents have started
visiting the traditional Kolu bommai shops to select dolls for
their homes.
The Kolu bommai shops on 4th Main Road, 2nd Main Road
and 1st Main Road are attracting residents. The shops on 4th
Main Road and the stretch near the Indian Oil petrol pump on
1st Main Road have been receiving a steady flow of customers.
This year, several new dolls and sets have been added to the
collections. A shopkeeper on 4th Main Road, near Murugan Idli
Kadai, said one of the new attractions was the Ekapada Murthi,
where Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma are depicted
together in a single form.
Another interesting new arrival is a special seval statue,
designed with different animal features. The body is shown as a
rooster, the tail resembles a peacock, the upper portion has a
snake and the legs are designed like those of a tiger,
highlighting the theme of Soorasamharam.
The Bhaktha Anjaneyar doll, which has been a popular choice
among Nanganallur residents for many years, is attracting
attention this season also.
At another shop near Anjaneyar Temple, customers can find a
variety of traditional sets including the Ashta Lingam set, Sivan-
Parvathi dampathi set on Simha vahanam, Kanchi Divya
Desam set depicting temples around Kanchipuram, Nachiyar
Thirukkolam, Nava Tirupati set, Seshadri Swamigal, Sathya Sai
Baba, Shirdi Sai Baba, Maha Periyava, Adi Sankara,
Ramanujar and Desikar.
Mangalam Maruthi Pooja Centre has also brought a wide range
of dolls for this year’s Navarathri season. Proprietrix, Ms.
Bharathi Kannan, said the collection starts from Rs. 50 and
goes up to dolls and sets costing lakhs of rupees.
Among the new arrivals at the centre this year are the 12 Rasi
Kuberan set, Punnainallur Mariamman set and Maha
Bhuvaneshwari, along with several other traditional and
devotional collections.
Balamurugan Stores on 4th Main Road, Nanganallur, has
introduced a range of Navarathri Kolu steps for this season.
The shop has brought folding-type Kolu steps, making them
convenient to set up and store after the festival.
The folding steps are available starting from three-step models,
along with different sizes and quality options to suit the needs
of different households.
With Navarathri approaching, the streets of Nanganallur are
slowly turning into busy festive shopping spots. Children and
elders alike can be seen taking interest in the colourful dolls
and different Kolu themes. Along with Kolu bommais, shops are
also selling puja items, return gifts and other materials needed
for the celebrations.
Many families have already started planning their Kolu
arrangements and are visiting the shops to choose new
additions for their collections.
The festive shopping has brought a cheerful atmosphere to
Nanganallur as residents get ready to welcome Navarathri.
