TN village churns out colourful clay, paper mache dolls ahead of Christmas

Ahead of Christmas, artisans in Vilacheri are bringing out clay and paper mache dolls, infusing them with colour.

Over 200 families in this rural village in Madurai have been traditionally making clay and paper mache dolls for various festivals.

This Christmas season, their wares include colourful dolls of Santa Claus and Jesus, which are being churned out in large numbers.

"We make idols of Jesus, Velanakanni Mata and many more. The idols are mostly 5 feet tall and are made with various colour combinations," says an artisan Kaveri.

Demands from neighbouring states have been instrumental for these artists to make more and more colourful dolls.

The most popular during this season is Christmas related items. "We get orders from neighbouring states like Kerala. Many times, we get orders from abroad. We start preparing a month in advance to meet the high demand for colourful statues," says another artisan Selvi.