Bhosi villagers worship a wooden statue of lord of obstacles for the past 56 years

Hyderabad: At a time when installing Ganapati idols in every lane and every apartment has become an alarming issue, we should learn from Bhosi village in Mudhol constituency in Nirmal district, on how to worship the lord of obstacles without causing any pollution. Yes, what you read was correct.

Villagers in Bhosi village have been worshipping a wooden statue of Ganapati for the past 56 years without immersion in water. The villagers during Ganapati Navaratri worship the lord for 11 days, and on the last day, they sprinkle water from a well in the premises of Lord Laxminarayana temple. After this ritual on the previous day, the wooden idol of Ganapati would be kept in the temple for next year celebrations.

The wooden statue of Lord Ganapati became popular as devotees started feeling of fulfilling their desires. This belief is further attracting devotees from neighbouring states as well.

The history of the wooden idol dates back to 1963. The then Sarpanch of Bhosi village consulted Pulakonda Gundaji, an artisan in Nirmal town, for sculpting a wooden idol of Lord Ganesha. Gundaji carved the lord Ganesh idol at the cost of Rs51 and handed it over to the Sarpanch. Bhosi villagers decorated the wooden idol and started worshipping ever since 1963.

Subsequently, villagers started installing another idol of Ganesha along with the wooden statue and immerse the new one. Students and youth are practising ‘Ganapati Mala’ for 11 days during the Navaratri celebrations. All the villagers worship the same and only one Ganapati idol for the past 56 years.

The Bhosi village is also known for highest number of people with higher education in the Mudhol constituency. Almost every household has an employee.