Bhubaneswar: Not just clay idols, but materials of various kinds have been used to shape up the elephant-headed God, Ganesh, this year in Odisha. What’s catches the attention most is a 15-foot-tall Ganesh idol crafted from 25,000 glass bangles in Baripada of Mayurbhanj district. The unique idol has been installed at the puja mandap of a youth organisation, known as the Friends Union Organisation, as it marked its 18th celebration.
Following the tradition of Maharashtra, the organisation is celebrating the festival for five days. | | Mayurbhanj, Odisha | A unique 15-ft idol of lord Ganesh made of 25,000 glass bangles installed in Baripada — ANI (@ANI) The organisation spent around Rs 25 lakh for building the idol as well as the pandal, its cashier, Srikant Barik told the ANI. This puja mandap also marks communal harmony as people from muslim community also take part in the celebrations here.
“The festival features tribal traditional songs, dances, a national-level dance competition, and much more. Prasad distribution occurs over the five days. Artists from West Bengal and other states join us,” said Saumya Ranjan Mishra, president of the organisation, as quoted by the ANI.
At a time when the focus is on green measures to make the festival eco-friendly, a voluntary organisation in Bhubaneswar has come up with ‘Tree Ganesh,’ replacing the clay idols for the celebration. The Tree Ganesh has been installed by the volunteers of Bakul Foundation at Biju Patnaik Park. Thi.