- By Sahelee Rakshit
- Mon, 11 Sep 2023 04:51 PM (IST)
- Source:ANI
As the city prepares for the Ganesh Chaturthi celebration, eco-friendly Lord Ganesha idols are being made in Tamil Nadu's Madurai region.
Hundreds of artisans live in Vilachery village in Madurai, near Tiruparangunram, where the idols are being made from clay and elephant dung.
However, due to excessive rainfall in the district, the artisans are facing difficulties.
Vijay Kumar, an idol artisan told news agency ANI, "We traditionally make Ganesha idols out of clay. This year we have received very few orders. Now that the rainy season has started, the tile-making industry has stagnated a little which has affected us."
"We have been in the Ganesha idol-making business for 34 years. We prepare Ganesha idols naturally using clay and elephant dung. These idols do not cause any harm to the environment. But now it is very difficult to make an idol if there is no soil available, " another artisan was quoted as saying by ANI.
The Ganesh Chaturthi celebration, which takes place in the Hindu month of Bhadrapada, commemorates the birth of Lord Ganesha, the son of Shiva and Parvati.
The festival, also known as Vinayak Chaturthi or Ganeshotsav, is observed by the erection of clay idols of Ganesha, both individually in houses and publicly on elaborate pandals (temporary stages).
On the day of Anant Chaturdashi, the 10-day festival concludes with the idol being taken in a public display with music and group chanting, then immersed in a nearby body of water such as a river or sea, a practice known as 'visarjan.'
The event honors Ganesha as the God of New Beginnings and Obstacle Removal, as well as the god of intellect and intelligence. This year's Ganesh Chaturthi event will begin on September 19 and will last ten days until September 29.