Zafar Iqbal/Jaipur

Holi is one of the most celebrated festivals of Rajasthan; it’s the day when the Pink city gets drenched in myriad colours. Among all its specialities “gulal gotta” translated as the tablet of colours, is the most well-known weapons of playing a safe Holi.

Gulal Gote’s history is quite old; it was first made in Amber, the then capital of Jaipur founded in 1727 by Maharaja Jai ​​Singh Divyanti.

He brought artisans from Amer and settled them at Maniharo on the way to Jaipur. Since then, these artisans have been making Gulal Gota and the practice has continued for generations.

An artisan blowing air into Lacquer

The Gulal Gota, a lacquer vacuole filled with scented colour water and wrapped in fancy paper, was used only by the royals for playing Holi. 

However, today Gulal Gota is commercially sold and is a popular export item of Rajasthan.

Before the pandemic, tourists from countries like America, England, Australia, Switzerland, Singapore, etc. could be seen buy this item from the markets.

A group of artisans giving final touches to Gulal Gota

These tourists carried it as a souvenir from Rajasthan and thus it became popular abroad leading to its demand in many countries.

To keep with the changing tastes, the artisans have made it look fancier and attractive.

Making Gulal Gota is a cottage industry. These are made by blowing air into tiny tablets of lacquer with the help of a tube. Then these are placed in water. 

A hawker selling Gulal Gota in Jaipur

After this, the cavity is filled with gulal, red colour and natural scents. Each piece is filled individually and therefore it’s a painstaking process. Finally, each piece is wrapped in coloured paper. 

Each gulal gota is made of 5 gram of lacquer and after it’s packed, it weighs about 15 grams. It is so light that there is no risk of injury by being bombarded with it as an alternative to carrying colours and ‘pichkari.

In the market,  Gulal Gotas are available in different colours and designs. On this occasion of Holi, these Gulal Gotes are attracting the general public as well as tourists.

The artisans who make these colour bombs are mostly Muslims and this skill is passed on from one to another generation.