Varanasi: West Bengal’s iconic Kumartuli Durga idol-making tradition, which has shaped the cultural identity of Durga Puja for over three centuries, is on the verge of receiving the coveted Geographical Indication (GI) tag. Interestingly, Varanasi—often referred to as “Mini Bengal”—has played a crucial role in initiating and technically facilitating the GI certification process, marking another significant milestone in India’s intellectual property movement.The recognition will be Bengal’s second major success after 30 GI-tagged products, including Darjeeling Tea, India’s first GI-tagged product in 2004-05.A GI tag is a govt-backed certification granted to products originating from a specific geographical region whose qualities, reputation or characteristics are linked to that location. It protects products against unauthorised use, assures authenticity for consumers and helps artisans and producers secure better returns in domestic and international markets.Kumartuli’s idol-making tradition dates back more than 300 years and is closely associated with Durga Puja celebrations across West Bengal, including Kolkata. Durga Puja in Kolkata has also been inscribed on Unesco’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.The GI registration process for Kumartuli idols was initiated on December 9, 2025, by Kumartuli artisans and the general manager of the District Industries Centre, Kolkata, with support from Nabard’s Kolkata Regional Office and the Department of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises and Textiles, Govt of West Bengal. Technical facilitation was provided by Varanasi-based Padma Shri awardee Rajani Kant, popularly known as the “GI Man of India.”Nabard has emerged as one of the largest government institutions supporting GI registration and post-GI interventions across the country.“The consultative group hearing for this important GI application from Bengal was completed on July 3 at the Patent Office, Kolkata, along with several other GI applications, under the guidance of the GI Registry, Chennai, the Comptroller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks, and Registrar of Geographical Indications Prof. Unnat P Pandit and his team,” said Rajani Kant, general secretary of the Varanasi-based Human Welfare Association.According to the official website of the GI Registry, Kumartuli, located along the Hooghly River in North Kolkata, is among India’s oldest and most renowned centres for ritual idol-making. Its origins date back to the post-Plassey reorganisation of Calcutta, when Governor J. Z. Holwell designated “Coomartolly” as the settlement for potters. For more than three centuries, generations of Kumbhakar families have handcrafted clay idols of Durga, Kali, Saraswati and other deities, preserving the tradition through hereditary practice.The process begins with ‘Punya Maati’, sacred clay collected from the banks of the Ganga and, traditionally, from the doorstep of a sex worker’s house—a practice symbolising inclusion, humility and divine grace. The clay is mixed with fine alluvial soil to enhance strength, texture and ritual purity. Artisans then build lightweight yet durable frameworks using bamboo, straw and jute before applying successive layers of clay by hand. Each idol is sculpted individually, giving it the distinctive serene expression, almond-shaped eyes, arched eyebrows and graceful features characteristic of Bengali iconography.Kumartuli is also renowned for its Ekchala composition, in which Goddess Durga and her children are depicted beneath a single decorative arch, and for Daaker Saaj, an elaborate silver-foil ornamentation that originated through postal trade routes. The idols are crafted largely from biodegradable materials, including river clay, chalk clay, straw, jute, bamboo and natural mineral- or plant-based colours.Today, Kumartuli exports customised idols to communities across India and overseas, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Singapore and the UAE, while preserving its unique religious and artistic identity.Rajani Kant said the GI Registry had witnessed historic progress during the past four months. Since the GI Act came into force in 2003, he said, nearly 300 GI application hearings had been completed across India during this period, covering the northern, southern, eastern, western and northeastern regions, including eight states. He added that despite the personal loss of his mother on April 9, the GI mission continued with the support of his technical team, GI Registry officials and the Comptroller General of IPR.During the same four-month period, the Human Welfare Association completed hearings for 174 GI applications, including four from West Bengal. The organisation had earlier received the National Intellectual Property Rights Award in 2017 for its contribution to the GI ecosystem, besides several other honours.“By the grace of Maa Durga, the time has come for Kumartuli’s idol-making tradition to become part of India’s intellectual property heritage,” Kant said. He also expressed regret that previous governments had not initiated the process earlier. He added that under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the present dispensation in West Bengal, the recognition would help showcase Bengal’s rich cultural heritage on the global stage.According to the GI Registry’s official records, there was a time when only 25 to 30 GI applications were heard and approved annually. The pace accelerated in recent years with initiatives such as Atmanirbhar Bharat, Local to Global and One District One Product, while Uttar Pradesh’s Kashi GI model also contributed significantly to expanding the GI movement.Under the direction of the Comptroller General of IPR, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), the GI Registry, Chennai, and other intellectual property offices have expedited the identification, documentation, filing and disposal of GI applications. As of July 11, a record 2,092 products had been filed for GI registration, while 822 GI registrations had been granted by March 2026.India is now moving rapidly toward the target of 10,000 GI registrations by 2030, announced by Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal during the GI Samagam organised by DPIIT in New Delhi in January 2025. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also promoted Indian GI products globally by presenting them as gifts to international leaders, enhancing global recognition for artisans, weavers, farmers, women entrepreneurs and craftsmen while creating new livelihood opportunities.
