Every year during Durga Puja in Bengal, Maa Durga comes home to her paternal home, bringing Saraswatiji, Lakshmiji, Ganeshji and Kartikeyaji with her. The Indian Museum, the oldest and largest museum in Asia, is hosting Durga Puja on its premises for the first time ever. NemichandBamalwa& Sons has created jewellery adorning all the deities, based on the theme. For Devi Durga, a necklace symbolises her as a goddess and mother to the rest of India, and carries the nine days of Navratri and the nine days of Puja in a single piece.
The jewellery will be presented at Devi Durga: Śakti, Mātri, Karuṇā, hosted by the Indian Museum, Kolkata, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, in association with SHE Kantha. The presentation took place on October 11, 2026, at 4.30 PM in the Central Courtyard of the Indian Museum. It brings “ĀdiŚakti” to the oldest and largest museum in Asia alongside Bengal’s Sabeki handicraft tradition, with the Durga idol from Kumartuli presented in the Sabeki style. NemichandBamalwa& Sons will adorn the deities with real gold jewellery, completing the traditional shringar.
The Nav Avatar necklace connects the story of Durga Puja with the idea of Navratri at home; this year, Maa Durga comes wearing all nine of her avatars. Maa Mahalakshmi, the symbol of prosperity and abundance, appears in her Gajalakshmi form, with elements of silk worked into the design. MaaSaraswati, who stands for knowledge, mindfulness and vivek, is shown through her association with the Hamsa.
The design follows this year’s puja mandate of Swadeshi and Sanatani, with the murtis kept in their original clay colour. Gold temple jewellery was chosen to reflect purity and that spirit, with select diamond and Polki elements added to complete the pieces. Given the sheer size of the statues, especially that of Maa Durga, every piece was designed specifically for this presentation.
Each piece is handcrafted, and part of the designing was done on the computer. A team of craftsmen, artisans and technical specialists worked on the necklaces for more than a month. The brand’s trusted karigars, many of whom have been with the house for years, and an in-house set-up with everything under one roof, made it possible to execute pieces of this scale.
The necklace was also designed with the Kantha embroidered saris in mind. SHE Kantha, the NGO working with women artisans, is creating the saris for Maa Durga, as part of a Kantha-based installation at the heart of the courtyard in which hundreds of women artisans are involved. The jewellery has been kept open in structure so that the Kantha embroidery can be seen through it rather than hidden beneath.
“Speaking about the creation, Vinod Bamalwa, Partner, NemichandBamalwa& Sons, said, “We have been blessed to keep having opportunities to adorn deities in temples and puja pandals, and I feel it is a calling. When we sat down to design for Maa this time, the idea was to bring Navratri home through the nine avatars of Durga Maa, in one necklace. We wanted the jewellery to be impactful, and at the same time let the Kantha breathe through it.”
The house has a long association with deity adornment, with jewellery created for the Tirupati Temple, Ram Mandir Ayodhya and Shri Sai Baba Temple, among many others, as well as the Kali Mandir and Dakshineshwar temples, and Maa and the five deities at the Shri Bhumi Durga Puja pandal in 2014. With the showroom completing 40 years next year, the collaboration with the Indian Museum, which represents heritage, fits the brand’s work of interpreting India’s heritage in the language of contemporary fine jewellery. The partnership with SHE Kantha is equally important to the brand; it is also a collaboration of friendship and of artisans, and reflects the belief, faith, trust and integrity the house stands for.
