Hyderabad: Preparations for Hyderabad’s iconic Khairatabad Ganesh Utsav began on Thursday, June 25, with the traditional Karra Puja, as the Khairatabad Ganesh Utsav Committee unveiled this year’s theme for the city’s famed 69-foot eco-friendly idol.
The committee announced that the towering idol will depict ‘Panchamukha Sankatahara Maha Ganapati’, a form of Lord Ganesha believed to remove obstacles and protect devotees. Sculptor Chinnaswamy Rajendran, who has been associated with the Khairatabad idol for nearly four decades, said the idol will also feature a 15-foot Somnath Jyothirlinga on its right side and Kalika Mata on the left.
Ganesh Chaturthi will be celebrated on September 14, and the committee has begun work nearly three months in advance. Karra Puja, a customary ritual performed before construction begins, has marked the commencement of idol-making at Khairatabad for decades.
Khairatabad Ganesh Utsav Committee Chairman Saingari Raj Kumar said the 69-foot idol will be built using eco-friendly materials such as clay, steel, dry grass, rice husk and wood used for the internal scaffolding. The materials have been sourced from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.
150 artisans, workers expected to work on idol
Around 150 artisans and workers are expected to work on the idol over the next 80 days, with construction scheduled to begin next week. The committee aims to complete the idol about three days before Ganesh Chaturthi to allow time for final preparations.
The organisers estimate that the construction of this year’s Khairatabad ‘Bada Ganesh’ will cost more than Rs. 1 crore, continuing the tradition of erecting one of the country’s tallest and most visited Ganesh idols during the annual festival.
