Ganesh Chaturthi 2024: Spirituality Meets Sustainability With Eco-Friendly Ganesh Idols Across India

Ganesh Chaturthi 2024: Every year Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated with vigor and vibrant idols of lord Ganesh. Over the years the revered idols have been posing a threat to the very nature the gods stand for due to the toxic and non-biodegradable material used in their creation. Sustainable approach to Ganesh Chatirthi thereby is not a choice but necessary. This year artists from across the country have devoted themselves to make idols that are marvelous not just for their size but also by promoting sustainability and green idol making. 

70 feet Saptamukha Ganpati

The tallest Ganpati of the year stands tall in Hyderabad at the height of 70 feet, created by a team of 150 artisans with an estimated cost of Rs. 1 Crore. Made from clay and iron, the idol has 7 faces of Ganpati’s seven avatars.   

Hyderabad Khairatabad Ganesh 2024:
"Sri Saptamukha Maha Shakti Ganapathi."

2024 : Khairatabad Ganesh -
70 Feet tall
Celebrating 70 years of Khairatabad Ganesh which started in 1954,

Happy Vinayaka Chaturthi 🙏pic.twitter.com/RyN0NWdLuq

— narne kumar06 (@narne_kumar06) September 7, 2024

 

11 foot idol of Neem Bark 

In Surat, Gujarat a group of 10 artisans have created a 11 foot tall Ganesh idol made sustainably from 70 kg of neem bark, soil and many kinds of farm grass. The carved neem provides it a majestic look with the soil helping in keeping it stable, and grass coming handy in adornments. The idol weighing 600 kg was completed in only three to four days.  

11 feet Ganesh Idol made from tree bark in Surat pic.twitter.com/qsTvOzoyQC

— Local Samosa (@LocalSamosa) September 9, 2024

Turmeric made Ganesha 

500 kg of turmeric was used by the creators of this Ganesh idol installed in Kolathur, Chennai with a height of 12-foot marking a diverse approach to green Ganesh idols. 

#WATCH | Chennai, Tamil Nadu: A 42 ft idol of Ganesh made with peepal leaves was placed in the Kolathur area. This is designed with 30 thousand Kubera Vilakku (lamp), on #GaneshChaturthi pic.twitter.com/GiQvsrQuFU

— ANI (@ANI) September 19, 2023

2.21 Lakh Tamarind Seeds Ganesh Idol 

Sunil Siddappa Anandache, a sculptor from Old Gandhi Nagar in Belagavi, Karnataka has used 2.21 lakh Tamarind seed to create the idol of Ganpati that is 8-feet long and 4-feet wide at a cost of Rs 35,000 over a period of a month.

Newspaper Ganesh Idol 

An advocate of green Ganpati idols, Moreswar Pawar has made a marvelous and lightweight ganpati from nothing but paper mâché of old newspapers. The 10 foot Ganpati idol weighs only 10 kg with the capacity to dissolve in mere 3-4 hours in water with paper posing no threat to nature. 

Jaggery Ganpati 

Andhra Pradesh’s sweetest Ganpati is made from the lumps of Jaggery sourced from Rajasthan standing at a 75-foot-tall statue installed by the Lambodhara Charitable Trust.

#UniqueDecor #Ganapati statue in #Gajuwaka in #Visakhapatnam . Ganesh Idol Made with 20 thousand kg of #jaggery.

It all took about two months to complete.#ganapatifestival #GanapatiBappaMorya #GanapatiAtharvashirsha #LordGanesha #GaneshChaturthi2024 #GaneshFestival2024 pic.twitter.com/fMZtiSJaI1

— Sunil Veer (@sunilveer08) September 9, 2024

Waste to Wonders

In Raipur, a 12-foot tall Ganesh idol has been erected made entirely from scrap material. The idol has been created by The South East Central Railway as a demonstration of a sustainable approach to the festival while keeping its rich tradition alive. 

With a unique and green approach to mega Indian festivals like Ganesh Chatirthi, artisans not just get to display their creativity and unique thinking but also empower and encourage others to take a step forward for the planet by attaining a harmony between spirituality and sustainability.