In Hinduism, people worship statues of gods and offer prayers to them. Idol worship is given a lot of importance in the religion. The statues of gods and goddesses are created using plaster of paris or cement. People are now resorting to more eco-friendly methods of making idols of gods and goddesses. As Ganesh Chaturthi is about two months away, the sales of idols of Lord Ganesha will increase. People bring the idols of the god into their homes. Generally, Ganesh murtis, made of plaster of Paris, when immersed in water after Ganesh Chaturthi, which harms the water bodies. Many people are thus using eco-friendly Idols during Ganesh Chaturthi.
People are encouraged to use idols made up of clay and soil for the sake of the environment. One such person who creates idols using clay is Padmavati. She has been making clay idols for the past 20 years near the Ayyappa Swamy temple at Balaga Mettu in Srikakulam town in Andhra Pradesh. In a conversation with Local18, Padmavati said she learnt clay figurine making from his father. She added that she was asked to make idols of Ganpatis for Durga Devi, Saraswati Devi, or any other god and goddess festivals like Dussehra and Diwali. Now, she can create these idols with perfection.
She also explained the process of making idols. Padmavati revealed that before making a clay Ganapati, a frame is made with a stick, then grass is tied in the shape of a Ganapati, and clay is smeared on it to make the shape of the idol. In order to make it attractive, colours are added to it and it is decorated with a crown, dhoti jewellery, etc. She also revealed that it takes about ten days to make one Ganapati idol. It is said that it has been customary to worship Ganapati, made of clay, since ancient times. She revealed that during the festive season, these idols are usually sold for between Rs 5,000 and Rs 8,000.
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