Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): This Ganeshotsava, devotees in the city will be able to have a darshan of the idols of Lord Ganesha, patterned on the idol of Ram Lalla at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
Seven-foot and 10-foot clay idols of Ganesha in the standing position will adorn different Ganeshotsava Pandals in the city including Indrapuri, Shyamala Hills and Misrod. The seven-day festival, dedicated to the lord of wisdom, begins from September 7.
Idol-makers say that this year, the number of orders received by them has jumped substantially, with Ganesha idols patterned on Ram Lalla in big demand. They make the basic structure using bamboo, straw and clay sourced locally. Special clay from Kolkata is used for the finishing work. For decorating the idol, they use American diamonds, gota with lace, pearls and velvet cloth.
They mostly use organic colours extracted from dried flowers and non-chemical colours available in the market for painting the idols. Besides, Dagdusheth Ganapati, Labaugh Ke Raja, Makhanchor Ganesha and Ganesha idols patterned on the Shivling at the Mahakal Temple at Ujjain are also in demand. All the idols made this year are eco-friendly.
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Ravi Yadav, the 46-year-old idol maker told Free Press that he has made the lower half of the 10-ft idol resemble the Ram Lalla idol at Ayodhya while the upper half is of Ganesha. “It took him a month to make the idol,” he adds. Vaibhav Jain from Nav Yuvak Ganesh Utsav Samiti, Indrapuri, BHEL, says that they have made the 10-foot idol on Ram Lalla pattern to create buzz of Ram Mandir in society.
“The idol will be installed in a pandal made of glass,” Jain said, adding that “The cost of the idol is Rs 60,000 whereas the total expenditure on the pandal is Rs 3.5 lakh.”
“The body of the idol is of Ram Lalla while the head is Ganesha’s,” says Ajay Prajapati, who has made the idol. Crafting idols has been the business of his family for the past 100 years.
Idols made by him are bought by Ganeshotasava Samitis not only in Bhopal but also in towns around like Vidisha and Guna. “ We begin preparing for the fest immediately after Diwali,” Prajapati adds.
