Unveiling the design and details of the idol which would be erected in Khairatabad during Ganesh Chaturthi — generally the tallest one in Hyderabad each year, the Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi on Saturday, July 17, said that the height of the idol would be at 40 feet. The design would be ‘panchamukha rudra mahaganapathy.’ The idol will be flanked by goddess Kali and goddess Nagadevatha. The committee announced that the festivities would begin from September 10 and the idol would be immersed on September 19. Activities related to the festivities will begin from July 23, the committee said.
Further, they appealed for cooperation from the government for the smooth functioning of the festivities, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. “The government should provide raw materials to idol makers, including natural eco-friendly colors, on time. Due to the prevailing COVID-19 crisis, we want to build the idol quickly. Also, we use medicinal plants in making the idol. Since they are rare, taking proactive steps, the government should provide them in advance,” said Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi President G Raghav Reddy.
While the idol’s design has been created by S Anbarasan, the idol would be sculpted by C Rajendran, the committee said. In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the height of the idol was reduced from 66 feet to 27 feet last year. It was the first time in 66 years of its history that the idol’s height was reduced against the practice of increasing it each year. The devotees were also prohibited from coming to the pandal to avoid crowds. Instead, online darshans were arranged.
Among the southern states, the city of Hyderabad celebrates Ganesh festival in a big way, and the idol erected at Khairatabad is the most celebrated one, for its sheer grandness. The legacy of the Khairatabad Ganesh started in 1954 with a one-feet idol. As years passed, the celebrations around it grew and so did its height. But in 2018, the committee took a decision to not increase its height any further.