More than Rs 1 cr to be spent on Khairatabad Ganesh idol this year: Organiser

Hyderabad: Khairatabad Ganesh idol is known for its height and is the tallest Ganesh idol in India this year. More than Rs 1 crore will be spent on the preparation of Hyderabad's tallest Khairatabad Ganesh.

Interestingly, this year, the committee has decided to install clay Ganesh (Eco-friendly) idol instead of POP.

Naresh, a devotee, said, "Every year POP Ganesh idol is made but this year, clay Ganesh idol is being prepared and it is good that we are encouraging eco-friendly Ganesh idols. It has been decades that the Ganesh idol will be installed here in Khairtabad. Artists have come from Chennai to do clay work. 50 to 100 people are working here on this idol who have come from different states, he said.

Another devotee said, "We come to see the preparation of the Khairtabad Ganesh idol here every year. Many people will visit here to see the biggest Ganesh idol in Hyderabad."

Raj Kumar, Khairtabad Ganesh Utsav committee organiser, said "In the year 1954, Shakeriah Ji started installing Ganesh idol here. Every year, we have increased 1 foot of height. In 2015, 60 years was completed and we organisers thought we will reduce size every year but the devotees said the specialty of this Khairtabad Ganesh is height and asked us not to reduce size. In these 68 years, first time, we have decided to install clay Ganesh. This year around, 150 artists are working on this idol. Already paints have started coming from 5 different states like Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Kolkata, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. It takes 80 days to complete the idol and from June 1st, we have begun the work. The darshan for devotees will start on August 31."

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and State Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan have been invited for inauguration.