Hyderabad: Khairatabad Ganesh idol to be made of clay this year

Hyderabad: Unveiling the details of this year’s Khairatabad Ganesh, one of Hyderabad’s most popular Ganesh idols, the Khairatabad Ganesh Utsav Committee on Friday said the height of the idol would be fixed at 50 feet. The Khairatabad Ganesh Utsav Samithi also said the idol, named Panchamukha Maha Lakshmi Ganapathy, would be made of clay and […]

Hyderabad: Unveiling the details of this year’s Khairatabad Ganesh, one of Hyderabad’s most popular Ganesh idols, the Khairatabad Ganesh Utsav Committee on Friday said the height of the idol would be fixed at 50 feet.

The Khairatabad Ganesh Utsav Samithi also said the idol, named Panchamukha Maha Lakshmi Ganapathy, would be made of clay and organic colours this year.

“This is the first time we are installing an environment-friendly idol made of clay of such a massive height instead of a PoP one. In 2020 too, we made a clay idol but that was just 9 ft. It will be a bit challenging this time. The works will be completed in about three months,” said Chinna Swamy Rajendran, who has been designing and building the Khairatabad idol since 1978.

Nearly 50 skilled artisans from Mumbai, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh will take part in preparation of the idol, which over the years has been the city’s tallest Ganesh idol.

The festivities would begin from August 31 and the idol would be immersed on September 9.

The Karra puja was performed on Friday marking the beginning of process to make the idol. Last year, the idol was 40 feet, as against the 9-foot idol in 2020 during the first wave of Covid-19 pandemic. In 2019, the idol was 61 feet.

Every year, lakhs of devotees come to see the idol. The legacy of the Khairatabad Ganesh started in 1954 with a one-foot idol.