In Chandanpur's Mati Gali, idol makers return to river clay and natural colours for the festival season

Three generations of potters in one narrow lane are making more than 400 idols this year, most of them with unbaked clay, straw and plant-based colours that dissolve without harming the river.

By Kavya Menon

CHANDANPUR · Published 28 October 2026 at 9:46 am IST · 2 min read

Mati Gali is barely wide enough for a cycle rickshaw, but for six weeks a year it is the busiest lane in Chandanpur. Under tarpaulin sheets, families of potters shape straw frames, coat them with river clay and wait for the weather to dry each layer.

This year, the 23 workshops in the lane are making more than 400 idols for community pandals and homes. Nearly three-quarters of them use only clay, straw, jute and colours made from turmeric, indigo, flowers and soil, said Gopal Pal, 68, the lane's oldest idol maker.

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