Pallassana: Amid the riot of colours that marks the Onam season, N Lakshmi works with a more earthy palette. A native of Kannanoorpadam near here, she moulds clay Mathors, or Onathappans, by hand, keeping alive a festive tradition that is slowly vanishing from Kerala homes.

For the families in Kannanoorpadam, moulding clay into Onathappans was an Onam tradition handed down through generations.These earthen figures, steeped in tradition, continue to find buyers in villages. Traditionally, the Mathor is placed at the centre of a kolam drawn with rice flour and decorated with flowers to welcome Mahabali.

In earlier times, it was largely elderly women in households who shaped these clay figures. But as lifestyles changed, the practice of making Mathors at home gradually gave way to buying them from shops. The dwindling availability of clay and the younger generation's lack of interest in learning the craft have pushed the tradition further to the margins.

Lakshmi, however, continues to work with clay. She buys the raw material, kneads it and shapes it into Mathors and smaller figures. The finished pieces are coated with red oxide to give them their characteristic ochre hue before being left to dry in the sun.

There was a time when Lakshmi used to carry the figures on her head and go from house to house selling them. Today, restrictions on clay extraction have made procuring the raw material difficult and expensive. Yet, despite the rising cost of clay and the labour involved, the returns remain modest.

A set comprising three Mathors with finials and four smaller figures costs between ₹250 and ₹350. Those buying directly from the homes here can get a set for ₹150 to ₹200.

Shaped from the earth, each Mathor carries more than the colours of Onam. For Kannanoorpadam, these humble clay figures carry memories of the village and a piece of its enduring Onam heritage.