Workers painting the Ganesh idol to be set up at Lanka Grounds at Gajuwaka in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: BY ARRANGEMENT
After creating a record by setting up 89-foot clay Ganesh idol last year in Lanka Grounds in Gajuwaka, the organising committee is gearing up to install a 117-foot clay Ganesh idol, during Vinayaka Chaviti. The pandal organisers – ‘SV Entertainments’ are leaving no stone unturned to make the Ganesh idol attractive, for which they have roped in Telangana based renowned clay idol craftsman ‘Kothakonda Nagesh’. Almost 95% of the idol work has been completed.
Mr. K. Ganesh from SV Entertainments said that last year they had roped in Khairatabad Ganesh idol maker Chinnaswamy Rajendran, this year, they are happy to associate with Kothakonda Nagesh, who is very well known as ‘Matti Manishi’ in Telangana.
Mr. Ganesh said that a team of about 26 artisans from West Bengal have been working for making the idol for the last two months. He said that another 34 persons have been working for decoration and elevation of the idol.
This year, the organisers are going for the ‘Sri Anantha Panchamukha Maha Ganapati’ rupam for the idol, while last year it was ‘Kailasa Viswaroopa Maha Ganapati’.
To make the pandal more attractive, to the left side, the pandal organisers are installing 35-foot ‘Sri Anantha Padmanabha Swamy’ statue. To another side, a six-foot Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy statue is being installed.
Last year, during the end of Vinayaka Chaviti, there were a few issues with the idol, as some experts felt that a part of the idol got tilted.
“They were rumours. However, we have given support to the back of the statue,” Mr Ganesh said, adding that the painting works are going on at a brisk pace.
The Ganesh idol will be unveiled at 11.16 a.m. on September 18 (Vinayaka Chaviti). Moreover, 117 kg ‘laddu’ prasadam will be offered to the deity.