Hesvika Handi CraftsHandmade Kondapalli, Etikoppaka & clay bommalu · Delivered across India · ECIL, HyderabadHow to Arrange Dasavatharam & Ashtalakshmi in Your Golu (Bommala Koluvu)
Most Golu (Bommala Koluvu) questions are about the steps themselves — how many, and what goes where. Those are answered in our Golu setup guide. This one is about the arrangements people ask for by name: the ten avatars of Vishnu, the eight forms of Lakshmi, and the nine planets. Each has an order, and the order is the point.
Dasavatharam: the ten avatars, in order
Dashavatharam is a sequence, not a group. The ten avatars are arranged left to right in the order they appear, so that someone walking past reads them as a story. If you are new to Golu, start with the Golu setup guide; from the viewer’s left, the order is:
- Matsya — the fish
- Kurma — the tortoise
- Varaha — the boar
- Narasimha — the lion-man
- Vamana — the dwarf
- Parashurama — with the axe
- Rama — with the bow
- Balarama — with the plough
- Krishna — with the flute
- Kalki — on the white horse
Buddha or Balarama, left or right
Two things families differ on, and both are accepted. Some traditions leave Balarama out: Krishna moves up to eighth and Buddha takes the ninth place. And some arrange the set right to left, so the sequence reads correctly from the deity’s side rather than the visitor’s. Follow whichever your family has always followed — the order within the sequence matters more than its direction.
Which step Dasavatharam goes on
Dashavatharam sits in the upper half of the Golu, on the step below the kalasham and the principal deities. On a five-step Golu that is usually the second step from the top; on a seven-step, the second or third. It is a divine sequence, so it should sit above the human scenes — the wedding set, the village, the musicians — rather than beside them.
Keep all ten at the same height and the same spacing. The sequence is what the eye follows, and an uneven line breaks it. If your set is small and the step is deep, bring the whole row forward to the front edge rather than centring it.
Choosing a Dasavatharam set
We stock Dashavatharam in several materials and sizes, all hand-made, so no two sets are identical in the way a moulded one would be. The choice is mostly about the depth of your step. The rest of the range is on the Golu bommalu page.
- Dashavatharam Medium — the usual choice for a five-step Golu
- Dashavatharam Big — for a deep step or a larger room, where a medium set would look lost
- Dashavatharam in clay — for a traditional look alongside clay figures
- Etikoppaka Dashavatharam, 6 inch — lacquered in the Etikoppaka style, with the colour that finish is known for
Ashtalakshmi: the eight forms of Lakshmi
Ashtalakshmi is a circle of eight, not a line, and that changes how it is placed. The eight forms are Adi, Dhana, Dhanya, Gaja, Santana, Veera, Vijaya and Aishwarya Lakshmi.
Where a step is deep enough, arrange them in a shallow arc so that the middle of the group sits slightly forward. Where it is not, a straight row is perfectly correct — but keep them together as one group rather than spreading them along the whole step, because the eight are read as one deity in eight aspects.
Ashtalakshmi belongs on the top step or the one directly below it, beside or just under the kalasham. If you are also showing Dashavatharam, put Ashtalakshmi above it: the avatars are a sequence through time, the Lakshmis are a single presence.
We stock Ashtalakshmi in clay, as a larger clay set for a deep step, and as an Etikoppaka Ashtalakshmi set in lacquered wood. Many families also build the eight up over several years from individual Lakshmi figures, which is the older way of doing it — see building a collection year on year in the setup guide.
Navagraha: the nine planets
Navagraha is arranged as a three-by-three square, never a line. Surya sits at the centre, and the other eight are placed around him. Each has its own direction in the traditional layout, and the square is kept square — if your step is too narrow for three rows, it is better to leave Navagraha out than to stretch it into a line.
It sits low rather than high, usually on the third or fourth step, because it represents the cosmos the rest of the display stands within.
A note on what matters
Every family’s Golu differs, and the differences are usually inherited rather than wrong. The order within each set is worth keeping. Which step it lands on, which direction the sequence runs, whether Balarama or Buddha is counted among the ten — those vary by family and region, and the one your grandmother used is the right one for your house.
If you are setting up your first Golu, start with the setup guide: how many steps, what you will need, and what goes on each one.
Common questions
- In what order should Dasavatharam be arranged?
- Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parashurama, Rama, Balarama, Krishna, Kalki — in a single row, left to right from the viewer’s side. Some families leave Balarama out, moving Krishna to eighth and placing Buddha ninth, and some arrange the row right to left. Both are accepted; keep whichever your family has always used.
- Which step does Dasavatharam go on?
- The upper half, on the step below the kalasham and the principal deities — usually the second step from the top on a five-step Golu. It should sit above the human scenes such as the wedding set or the village.
- How do you arrange Ashtalakshmi in a Golu or Bommala Koluvu?
- As one group of eight, on the top step or the one directly below it, near the kalasham. Use a shallow arc if the step is deep enough and a straight row if it is not — but keep the eight together, because they are read as one deity in eight aspects. If you also show Dasavatharam, Ashtalakshmi goes above it.
- How is Navagraha arranged?
- As a three-by-three square with Surya at the centre, never as a line. It sits low on the display, usually the third or fourth step. If a step is too narrow for three rows, leave Navagraha out rather than stretching it.
- Does the arrangement have to be exact?
- The order within each set is worth keeping. Which step it lands on, which direction the sequence runs, and whether Balarama or Buddha is counted among the ten vary by family and region — the version you grew up with is the right one for your house.
Where to find the dolls
Our shop is in Kamala Nagar, ECIL, Hyderabad, and everything we sell is hand-made by artisan families — Kondapalli in soft Tella Poniki wood, Etikoppaka in lacquer, and clay. You can order online across India, or visit the shop.
- Golu bommalu and Koluvu sets
- Kondapalli bommalu — the carved wooden figures
- Etikoppaka bommalu — the lacquered ones
- Visit or call us
One Stop Solutions for your Home Decoration
Hesvika Handi CraftsGround floor & First Floor opp round building, Kamala Nagar, Hyderabad, Telangana 500062
+91-9390991131
info@hesvikahandicrafts.com