Hyderabad: Hyderabad’s tallest Ganesh idol is going to be of 1foot this year from the originally planned 66 feet. This decision came into effect due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic which has left the world aghast.
Not just the everyday lives, but all religious activities and festivals have been affected by the virus. The pride of Hyderabad, the tallest Ganesh idol has most likely shrunk its size to one foot this year, according to the organizers.
For the first time in 66 years will the idol be of one foot. S Shankarayya, a freedom fighter, had installed the first Ganesh idol in 1954 of one foot. It kept getting bigger, increasing its height by one foot each year.
Along with the size of the idol, the Karra Puja on Ekadasi Day to be celebrated on May 18th, which marks the beginning of work on the idol, has also been cancelled in the light of Covid-19. State Governor, ministers and other VIPs used to perform the puja on this day.
The Sri Ganesh Utsav Committee on Tuesday under the chairmanship of S Sudarshan, founder and organiser and other committee members S Raj Kumar, Sandeep Raj decided against a gigantic 60-foot-high idol this year. The Committee spends a lot of finances over the festivities each year and the work for the preparation of the idol, starts atleast 3 months before the Ganesh festival. For the making of the idol alone, about Rs. 1 crore is spent. This includes the work of painters, carpenters, artisans, adding upto nearly 150 workers brought from Chennai especially for this.
Installed in the heart of the city, the Khairatabad idol was considered to be the tallest Ganesh idol in the Telugu states that attracted devotees from various cities and states. A 65 feet tall idol was installed last year.
The chairman of the Utsav Committee said that the decision to change the size of the idol would be assessed if a vaccine is developed atleast a fortnight prior to the festival, during the end of July or the first week of August. It is to be celebrated on August 22nd this year.
This year, the plan was to install a 66-ft idol with ‘Vishwarupa’ idol with 18 faces to seek blessings of the ‘Lord of Beginnings’ in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
As all temples are closed since nearly 2 months with no religious congregation are being allowed, the committee thought that the preparations and festivities would go in vain due to the pandemic. They hence decided to install a one-foot Ganesh idol.
The festival every year would last for 10 days with people from all over the city coming to witness this celebration and worship their Lord. Arrangement were made by the government authorities for shifting and immersing the idols with the help of giant cranes into the Hussainsagar Lake.
With inputs from IANS
