Eco-Friendly Ganesh Idols Celebrate Festivals in Prayagraj and Jamnagar

Prayagraj, Jamnagar, September 8 (Daily Kiran) : Women in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, have crafted eco-friendly idols of Lord Ganesh and Shiva-Parvati using cow dung for the upcoming Ganesh Chaturthi and Hartalika Teej festivals. This initiative aims to promote environmental conservation and tree protection. Meanwhile, Jamnagar in Gujarat has also prepared a large number of eco-friendly idols.

Abha Singh, an artist from Prayagraj, shared, “With Ganesh Chaturthi and Teej approaching, we wanted to do something environmentally friendly. Festivals generate a lot of waste, so our group decided to create idols of Ganesh and Lakshmi, along with Gauri-Parvati made from cow dung. Cow dung is considered sacred, and these idols can easily dissolve in water. They can also be kept at home throughout the year.”

Renu Kanchan, another local artist, expressed her sentiments about the festival. “During Ganesh Chaturthi and Hartalika Teej, we worship Lord Ganesh and Lord Shiva with Parvati. It saddens us to immerse the idols after the festivities. Hence, we thought of making idols from cow dung, which we can immerse at home and use as compost in our plants.”

In Jamnagar, over 5,500 eco-friendly Ganesh idols made from clay have been prepared this year. The idols featuring Ganesh in a Halari pagdi are particularly popular, with around 85% already booked.

Atul Prajapati, a sculptor from Jamnagar, noted, “I have been making idols in Gulabnagar for the past 20 years. My family starts crafting Ganesh idols six months before Ganesh Chaturthi. We use three types of clay for our idols. This year, we have created more than 5,500 idols, including 276 different forms such as Lalbagh Ka Raja, Siddhi Vinayak, Dagdu Seth, and Bal Ganesh. We also adorn the idols with various decorations based on customer requests. The colors we use are environmentally safe, ensuring that our idols can be easily immersed in water.”

Local customer Raj Sisgya remarked, “I came to see the Ganesh idol in a Halari pagdi. I liked the idols so much that I bought one large and one small idol. There are various types available here.”