As one may wonder how clay would hold up in the form of a jumbo idol of this scale, chief architect Chinnaswamy Rajendran credits the teamwork of artists from various parts of the country who brought in their expertise in different areas.
For this year’s Ganesh Chaturthi, Hyderabad’s famed Khairatabad Ganesh idol is not just a clay idol catering to the environmental necessities but the tallest ever attempted by the organisers in the last 69 years. With only a couple of weeks to go for the grand festivities to kick off, the idol is slowly coming to life with only a few days of paint job left.
Standing tall at a height of 63 feet and weighing about 50 tonnes, the Khairatabad Ganesh Utsav Committee has gone ahead with an idol that is 13 feet taller than last year amid persistent stress from the government to install an eco-friendly idol that, as per tradition, is to be immersed in the iconic Hussainsagar lake on the 11th day of festival. Since 1954, when a one-foot-tall idol was first installed here, the organisers have followed a tradition of raising the idol’s height by one foot yearly.
While a 61-foot tall idol made of plaster of Paris (PoP) was installed during the festival in 2019, the Covid-19 pandemic and stringent environmental regulations paved the way for a much smaller 27-foot clay idol in 2020. In 2021, a 40-foot tall PoP idol was installed, after which it was decided to install only clay idols yearly.
In 2022, the organisers attempted a taller clay idol and installed one 50 feet tall. This year, the idol’s height has grown further to 63 feet. The main Ganesh puja is on September 18, and immersion of the idol is on September 28.
Singari Rajkumar Mudiraj, chairman of the Khairatabad Ganesh Utsav Samithi, says the clay modelling works were completed on Monday after nearly 80 days of work, and the eco-friendly idol will be ready in another 10 to 15 days when applying specially prepared watercolours are done.
Singari Rajkumar Mudiraj, chairman of the Khairatabad Ganesh Utsav Samithi, says the clay modelling works were completed on Monday after nearly 80 days of work. (Express Photo)
The tradition of Ganesh puja here started in 1954 by Singari Shankariah, a freedom fighter and former corporator, and was carried forward by Rajkumar’s father Singari Sudarshan Mudiraj since 1994 after the former’s death. Sudarshan passed away last October and it was his wish to install a 70-foot-tall idol.
As one may wonder how clay would hold up in the form of a jumbo idol of this scale, chief architect Chinnaswamy Rajendran credits the teamwork of artists from various parts of the country who brought in their expertise in different areas. 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.
While clay idols of smaller sizes are made using a lot of wood and rice straw, he says, the scale of Khairatabad Ganesh would have required tonnes of rice straw and yet the annual procession would not have been possible as it would still not be sturdy. “We have used welding and fabrication for the iron frame and the idol is as strong as it gets,” he adds.
The makers used about 35 tonnes of clay brought from Rajasthan and about 20 tonnes of iron for fabrication. “The process is meticulous. After building the iron frame, we use mesh to hold clay onto it. The clay is mixed with sand, rice husk and jute powder to make a paste that acts as an adhesive. Jute rope is tied tightly onto it, and wrapping white cotton cloth around it makes for the final mould. Further, the same clay is applied for an ornamental finish,” explains Rajendran.
Besides expert clay artists led by Joga Rao from Koraput in Odisha, artists from Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, and West Bengal worked on the idol. “Even though everyone would like to make a huge clay idol, the experts who can do it are very scarce. Moreover, the material cost and labour costs make the clay idol costlier compared to a P-O-P idol. There are very few who work on clay idols, and now everyone is learning from the experts from Koraput,” Rajendran adds.
According to Singari Sandeep Mudiraj, the committee’s convenor, the clay idol when compared to a PoP costs more, weighs heavier, requires expert craftsmanship, can withstand rain for three to four hours and yet dissolves in less than 24 hours.
