Work on Panchamukha Ganesh idol picks up pace
Khairatabad idol to be 40-ft tall; material includes herbal plants
With Ganesh Chaturthi round the corner, the work on Hyderabad’s tallest Ganesh idol, Khairatabad Ganesh, has commenced at full pace. The idol, which will be 40-foot-tall this year, will be donning the Panchamukhas and will exhibit the ‘Shri Panchamuha Rudra Maha Ganapati’. It will also have the idols of Goddess Krishna Kali and Goddess Kala Nageswari on either side.
Speaking to this newspaper, Ganesh Utsav Committee convener Sandeep Raj said this year’s Ganesh idol was to eradicate the Covid and put an end to the pandemic. “Like last year, this year also we aim to end the Covid pandemic with the 40-foot-tall idol of Ganesh ji,” Raj said.
He added that the work on the idol was in full swing with all the Covid protocols being strictly followed.
“We are making arrangements to make sure that devotees who come to offer prayers to the idol shall follow proper Covid protocols with masks on and carrying hand sanitisers. We
will implement the ‘No Mask, No Darshan’ rule to make sure people follow the protocols strictly,” he said. The celebrations will start from September 10 and continue till September 19. The idol would be immersed on the last day of the festivities, on September 19, in the Hussain Sagar lake. Activities related to the festivities would begin from July 23, Raj added, to reduce the crowd on the main day.
Raj added that the Ganesh Utsav Committee had urged the government to cooperate with them. “We want to build the idol quickly this time. So, the government should provide raw materials to idol makers, including natural eco-friendly colours, on time. Also, we use medicinal plants in making the idol. Since they are rare, the government should provide them in advance,” he said quoting Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi president G Raghav Reddy.
In a brochure released by the committee, it said that the idol’s design had been created by S. Anbarasan and the idol would be sculpted by C. Rajendran.
The legacy of the Khairatabad Ganesh started in 1954 with a one-foot idol. In 2013, a 59-foot Ganesh idol was installed to mark the completion of 59 years, and a 4,200 kg laddu was kept in the palm of the idol.