What Is Golu? Navratri Golu Dolls Explained for Kids

Yogi says:

Why do dolls sit on steps during Navratri? My bulb has a clue: every doll is telling a story!Why do dolls sit on steps during Navratri? My bulb has a clue: every doll is telling a story!

• 4-minute read
• Toys and shoeboxes
• Indoors
• Whole family

Golu is a display of Golu dolls arranged on steps during Navratri, mostly in homes in South India. Families set out gods and goddesses on the top steps and scenes of everyday life lower down, so the whole display tells stories that children can walk up to and explore.

It has different names in different states: Bommai Kolu in Tamil Nadu, Bombe Habba in Karnataka and Bommala Koluvu in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Friends and neighbours visit each other's Golu during the nine nights, and children love spotting their favourite dolls.

In our Navratri reel, Yogi asks Tia why some families put dolls on steps, and Tia guesses it's so the dolls can watch the garba. Below is the real answer, a myth-or-fact game, and an easy way to build a mini Golu at home with toys you already have.

What is Golu?

Golu (also written Kolu) is a festive doll display that families put up for Navratri. A set of steps is built at home, covered with cloth, often white, and decorated with flowers, lamps and lights. Then the dolls go on, step by step.

Many families keep their Golu dolls for years, and some sets are passed down from grandparents. Adding a new doll or two each year is a common tradition, so every Golu slowly grows into a family collection with its own stories.

In our reel's Golu, the gods sit at the top, and everyday scenes fill the steps below.

Why do dolls sit on steps?

Tia's guess was a sweet one, but Yogi's clue is closer: the steps let the dolls tell stories in order. Families explain the steps in slightly different ways, and a common explanation is that they show the world from top to bottom, with the divine at the top and ordinary life below.

The number of steps is usually odd, such as 3, 5, 7 or 9. A small home Golu might have three steps on a table, while a big family Golu can fill a whole wall.

Which Golu dolls go on each step?

There is no single fixed layout, and every home does it a little differently. As a rough guide, this is what you'll often see from the top down:

• Top steps: gods and goddesses, often with the goddess Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati near the top during Navratri.
• Middle steps: saints, heroes and scenes from well-loved stories, such as the Ramayana or a wedding procession.
• Lower steps: everyday life, such as a market, a village, a school, musicians, animals and birds.
• A wooden couple: many Golus include Marapachi dolls, a traditional pair of wooden dolls dressed as a couple.
• At the foot: many families add a little park, garden, pond or village scene on the floor in front of the steps.

What happens during the nine nights of Golu?

• Visiting homes: families invite friends and neighbours to come and see their Golu, especially in the evenings, and children often go along.
• Sundal: guests are usually offered sundal, a simple dish of boiled chickpeas or other lentils with coconut and spices, along with a small gift.
• Songs and prayers: many families sing or pray in front of the Golu each evening.
• Saraswati Puja: on the ninth day, many families honour Saraswati, the goddess of learning, and some place books and musical instruments before her.
• Putting the dolls to sleep: after Vijayadashami, the day after the nine nights, many families lay a doll down to "sleep" before the Golu is carefully packed away until next year.

How can kids build a mini Golu at home?

Build a mini Golu at home

You need a table or a corner of the floor, a few boxes or thick books, a cloth and a basket of toys. Tick each step as you go.

0 of 7 done

1. 1

   Make the steps

   Stack shoeboxes or thick books against a wall so each level is a little lower than the one behind it. Three or five steps is plenty for a first Golu.

   
2. 2

   Cover them with cloth

   Drape an old white sheet, a dupatta or a sari over the boxes and tuck it in. Add a string of paper or real flowers along the edges if you like.

3. 3

   Choose your dolls

   Gather small toys, figurines, animals and any festival dolls you have. Ask your child to tell you who each one is and what story it belongs to.

   
4. 4

   Sort them onto the steps

   Decide together what goes where: special figures at the top, people in the middle, animals and everyday things lower down. There are no wrong answers at home.

5. 5

   Make a park at the foot

   On the floor in front, make a little park or village with play dough, leaves, small stones and a blue paper pond.

6. 6

   Add story labels

   Write a tiny label for each step or scene, such as "The market" or "The farm". Little ones can draw a picture instead of writing.

7. 7

   Give a Golu tour

   Invite family or friends to visit, and let your child walk them round the steps and tell the story of each doll.

What do kids learn from making a Golu?

Make it easier or harder

More Navratri fun for kids

Golu is one of many ways families celebrate Navratri. Find out who decides each day's colour in Navratri colours 2026, then play the Navratri colour hunt round the house.

For festival puzzles, counting, colouring and crafts on paper, browse our Navratri worksheets.