Orders for theme-based Durga idols in Kolkata's Kumartuli hub dropped significantly this year after BJP and Hindu rights groups urged a return to traditional forms.
Kumartuli Mritsilpa Sanskrity Samity secretary Babu Pal noted that artisans are crafting no more than 10 theme-based idols compared to roughly 100 to 150 previously.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari appealed to organizers on September 7 to avoid themes deviating from tradition and cultural sanctity.