Khairatabad Ganesh is one of the tallest Lord Ganesh Idol installed during Ganesh Chaturthi at Khairatabad, Hyderabad, India. Lakhs of devotees throng to have a glimpse of the Idol across the city. For 10 days it is one of the major attractions in the City.
Though this year the committee has decided to have only 57feet Ganesha unlike the previous years when the Idol was of 60 feet, it still stands as the tallest in the state of Telangana. The 57-foot Khairatabad Ganesha, will be unveiled on Thursday for public darshan. Nearly 120 skilled workers were involved in the making of the giant idol for the past three months. Governor ESL Narasimhan will attend a special pooja at around 11 am at the pandal on Friday .
Even the the Laddu of the Khairatabad is as famous as the Idol. But the committee this year has decided agaist the using of the famous Tameswaram laddu this year. The utsav committee has decided to stop the six-year old tradition of inviting Malle Babu, a sweet-maker from Tapeswaram village in East Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh, to make a laddu to be offered to the idol. In place of laddu, the idol is depicted holding in the left palm a plaster of Paris (PoP) model of prasadam, similar to the one made by Babu, in size and shape.
Keeping in view a huge rush of devotees who will throng the massive idol during 11-day celebrations of Ganesha Chathurthi, the Ganesh Utsav Committee, Khairatabad, has made elaborate arrangements like setting up of barricades, so that devotees can take a smooth darshan and move out of the area, installation of closed circuit TVs, deployment of volunteers, erection of prasadam and calendar counters at the pandal.
Meanwhile, members of Khairatabad Padmshali Sangham have decided to offer a 75foot `kanduva’ (towel) and 75foot `jandhyam’ (sacred thread) to the idol on Friday at around 7 am. Nearly 500 weavers who took part in making the `kanduva’ and `jandhyam’ will carry them in a special chariot from Lakdi-Ka-Pul to the Ganesha pandal, in a procession.
This year, the Ganesh Utsav Committee has decided to restrict the height of the Ganesh idol 57 feet. Last year, the idol stood at 59 feet. The Ganesh Utsav Committee, Khairatabad, was formed in 1954. In the first year of its formation, the committee installed one foot idol.
