Artisans give final touches to Lord Ganesha idols

Mangalore Today News Network

By Shreelatha Nayak

Mangalore Sep 9: Hindus offer the first puja to Lord Ganesh because they believe him to be the remover of all obstacles. The people of Mangalore are now preparing for Ganesh Chathurti, which will be celebrated on September 11, Saturday.  

Artists are giving final touches to the idols of Lord Ganesh in various styles and postures; in fact, they have been making Ganesha idols from the past two months. Ganesha idols are made with great devotion, setting aside the profit motive. Some of these artists use pure clay instead of plaster of Paris. The status of Ganesha idol makers has improved a great deal in recent years. 

The festival of Ganesh Chaturthi gives artists an opportunity to exhibit their creativity in the form of these idols. Some of the famous idol makers of Mangalore are Ravi Bhandary of Car Street, Prabhakar Rao of Mannagudda, and others. The artists make the idols according to the requirements of customers. The idol makers will also be in Vritha right from the day they start making the idols to the day the idols are immersed. 

People believe that Lord Ganesha visits the houses of all devotees on the day of Ganesh Chaturthi, removes sorrows, and blesses them with happiness, prosperity, and good fortune. People keep sugarcane on either sides of their homes to welcome Lord Ganesha and prepare a wide variety of delicacies such as laddus, modaks, and various vegetarian dishes. They also chant the thousand names of Lord Ganesha, a practice known as “sahasranama.” People also distribute sweets to neighbors on the day of Ganesh Chaturthi. 

On the day of Ganesh Chaturthi, clay idols of Lord Ganesha will be taken in a long and colorful procession with tableaux accompanied by hundreds of devotees and will be later immersed in a nearby well or tank.