A Vintage South Indian Golu Doll: Goddess Saraswati

mid twentieth century
14" x 9" x 4", 35.5 cm x 23 cm x 10 cm

This good-sized, beautifully rendered and painted molded figure is what is called in South India a golu or kolu.

As is immediately obvious, the charm of this old doll is in its worn state: the surface paint and decoration has long been abraded and the golu shows much of the material used to mold it.

Golu figures--and there were many gods and goddesses depicted in the form of golu--were set out in traditional home displays in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh during the nine night Hindu festival called Navratri. 

This golu depicts the goddess Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of  knowledge, music, arts, letters, wisdom, learning and artistic inspiration. Here she is seen in her typical pose, with one leg bent sitting on a high seat, strumming her veena, a symbol of all the arts and sciences. She is flanked by a swan and a peacock, two mounts or two birds/animals associated with this goddess.

Saraswati is usually depicted wearing white and, curiously, as most Hindu goddesses do, Saraswati does not have a male deity as a consort.

Curiously still, she is also worshipped in Japan as Benzaiten, the goddess of everything that flows: water, time, words, speech, eloquence, music and by extension, knowledge.

As can be easily seen on the accompanying detail photographs, this golu shows a good deal of wear, patina and surface damage.

A beautifully collectible image of the goddess Saraswati showing a good deal of age.

Recommended.