At 117 feet, Gajuwaka Ganesh idol set to be India's tallest eco-friendly idol

Vizag/Hyderabad: This festive season, the popular Gajuwaka Ganesh idol will be built to 117 feet at a cost of Rs 75 lakhs, making it arguably the tallest eco-friendly Ganesh idol in India and the most expensive idol across Andhra Pradesh for this year. The Ganesh idol will be unveiled at 11:16 am, on September 18, marking the beginning of Vinayaka Chavithi.

The pandal organisers, SV Entertainments, brought in Telangana-based renowned clay idol craftsman Kothakonda Nagesh, well known as Matti Manishi in Telangana, to help conceptualise and execute the idol’s construction. A total of 26 artisans from West Bengal were employed to work on the idol — titled Sri Anantha Panchamukha Maha Ganapathi — at Lanka grounds, Gajuwaka in Visakhapatnam.

The idol immersion will be done at the pandal by using fire tenders and milk and water brought from various sacred rivers. Last year, the clay Ganesh idol had a record-setting height of 89 feet at the same location in Gajuwaka.

According to K Ganesh from SV Entertainments, they are also installing a 35-foot Sri Anantha Padmanabha Swamy statue, to make the pandal more attractive. Laddu prasadam weighing around 117 kg will be offered to the deity.

Khairatabad Vs Gajuwaka

Meanwhile, the most famous Hyderabad’s Khairatabad eco-friendly idol will be made to 63 feet this year. This is a significant increase from last year’s 50 feet. The idol has been named Dasha Maha Vidya Maha Ganapathi.

The Khairatabad Ganesh Utsav Committee will be spending around Rs 70 lakhs to Rs 80 lakhs this year for the grand festivities. The organisers would also deploy private security guards to ensure the safety and security of the visitors and devotees.

Inspired by Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Singari Shankaraiah first established a 1-foot (0.30 m) Ganesh idol in 1954 at a temple in Khairatabad. Keeping up with the tradition, the organisers have installed a Ganesh idol at Khairatabad every year, raising the idol’s height by one foot annually.

Chief architect Chinnaswamy Rajendran has been the chief designer and architect of the idol every year since 1978 and the theme for each year is developed in consultation with astrologer Siddanti Gowri Patla Vitthal Sharma. Besides, expert clay artists, and artists from Koraput in Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, and West Bengal are part of making the Bada Ganesh.

As per tradition, the idol will be immersed in the Hussainsagar lake on the 11th day of the festival. The Khairatabad Ganesh idol is taken on a direct route to the lake on Tank Bund Road. Once the idol reaches the lake, cranes, fitted with specialised equipment, lift up the idol and immerse it in the lake.