AP PHOTOS: Artisans in India’s Assam state make colorful mud idols of Hindu gods for Durga Puja

Kanchan Paul is deep in concentration as he paints the right eye on a clay idol of the Hindu goddess Durga. He stands on a plastic stool and leans in toward the 8-foot-tall figure. It is delicate work, requiring him to remain eye-to-eye with the goddess for long periods of time. He describes the experience as “having a direct connection with the goddess ... It can also be very frightening at times, when you feel her gaze upon you." Kanchan, 39, is the fourth generation in his family to build clay idols. His 70-year-old father, Ratan Paul, who is working inside, has been making idols since 1975. Their narrow workshop is located in an urban area on the outskirts of Guwahati, the capital of the northeastern Indian state of Assam, and the idols are being prepared for Durga Puja, a festival celebrating the victory of good over evil. The idol that Kanchan is painting depicts Goddess Durga with 10 arms. She stands with her left foot on a muscular man and her right on a lion, her mount,...