The upper portion of the Khairatabad Ganesh Idol can be barely seen from the ground as it is covered in plastic sheets to protect it from rain. The lower portion is something else where motorists stop, park their vehicles and click photographs. “This year, we have a 63-foot tall clay idol. This is 13 feet taller than the one that we installed last year,” says Raj Kumar, organiser of the Khairatabad Ganesh Utsava Committee.
Poised to be the tallest ever Ganesh idol in the city, this one will break the record of 61 feet set in 2019.
This is the 69th year of the celebration at the same location started by the great grandfather of Raj Kumar in 1954. The one-foot tall idol was installed by S.Sankaraiah in the locality that was among the few built when the City Improvement Board had a free run. While the area has changed with many multi-storied complexes and homes have come up, the Ganesh idol has kept increasing in size. Fondly called ‘Bada Ganesh’, the installation and the immersion of the idol in Hussainsagar is a huge tourist draw in Hyderabad.
“The inner frame of the idol is 20 tonnes of steel, over which the artisans use paddy straw, rice husk and jute cloth to create an outline. Dry clay brought from Rajasthan is mixed with water to create the outer layer. We have started using water colours from last year,” informed Mr.Raj Kumar.
This is the second year when the idol is being made with clay instead of gypsum (commonly known as Plaster of Paris or PoP). “PoP is removed within two or three days but the clay dissolves and will accumulate in the lake. I don’t know how environment friendly it is if the clay is allowed to accumulate,” says Mr.Raj Kumar.
The idol will be installed on September 18 on Vinayaka Chaviti and immersed on September 28 or Ananta Chaturdasi, according to the Hindu lunar calendar.
