Hyderabad, September 12, 2013: For most visitors to Goshamahal this Vinayaka Chaturthi season, not to speak of those living in the vicinity, a halt at Bal Yuva Mandal’s pandal in Hindi Nagar is part of their schedule. The divine charm that’s attracting devotees by the hordes is the unique Ganesha idol, made of 38 kg of dry fruits and other commodities.

In all, about 4 kg of cashew nuts, 4 kg of almonds, 4 kg of pistachio nuts, 3 kg of walnut, 5 kg of raisins, 3 kg of cardamom, half a kilogramme of cloves and other commodities have been used for making the idol. It took about 40 days for the eight-member group of youngsters aged between 18 and 22 years to make the idol, which stands over six feet in height. The best thing about the idol is, it is made of clay and the group has fixed the dry fruits and spices using adhesive.

“We placed an order for the idol two months before the festival with an idol maker in Dhoolpet. It was painted white and we fixed the dry fruits and spices on the idol’s surface,” explains Akash Agarwal, founder of Bal Yuva Mandal.

It’s been just four years since the association was formed and it has already made a mark in the locality by installing unique idols. “Earlier we had installed Ganesha idols made of pearls and coins. This year we got over 50,000 ‘likes’ for the dry fruit Ganesha on Facebook,” claims Mr. Agarwal.

This year, the association is organising an art exhibition of hand paintings of 11 different Ganesha idols. Mandal members are planning to immerse the idol along with the dry fruits in Hussainsagar on September 18, he adds.

Source: The Hindu, September 12, 2013