India is celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi that commenced on 25th August, 2017 with much fervor and grandeur. The grand celebrations will come to an end on Anant Chaturdashi, that is 5th September, 2017. Though biggest celebrations happen in Maharashtra, rest of the India, especially South India is not far behind in celebrating the festival with as much zest and devotion.
Hyderabad
After the Maharashta it is the city of nawabs which has been celebrating the festival with as much grandeur. This year is no less, morethan one lakh pandals have been erected in the city. Apart from the Iconic Khairatabad Ganesh, there are the new attractions in the city being the Durgamcheruvu Ganesha and the Hussain Sagar.
Khairatabd Ganesh this year is 57 feet, designed by 120 people from Machilipatnam and Adilabad. The idol is 40 tonnes, and it took three months to be built. The Khairatabad Ganesh will get the Sheshnaag, the 14-headed snake god, in its backdrop. The laddoo to be featured on the idol will be designed to be as photorealistic as the original, famous laddoo of Tapeswaram. Durgam Cheruvu is the clay Ganesha at 65 feet is the tallest in the city. And then there is Balapur Ganesha, Nagole.
Though Hussain sagar remains the major immersion place, the bauthorities have constructed 14 lakes to facilitate the smooth process of immersion in the city.
Chennai
For the first time Chennai is celebrating the festival in as much grandeur as Maharashtra and Hyderabad. The religious and cultural organization Hindu Munnani planned to put up more than 5,500 eco-friendly idols of the god to celebrate the festival. The biggest idol has been installed at Tiruvateeswaranpet, Triplicane, rising up to a height of 18 feet.
One can see intresting themes of Idols in Chennai, like in Alwarthirunagar, Ganehsa is potrayed as fisherman, based on the fishing community. Others are made of traditional items like bamboo and the panchamritham, which is traditionally a combination of ghee, liquid jaggery, honey, yogurt and milk. Other creative ingredients that have been used include dates and traditional sweet dishes like laddoos, chikki and Mysore pa. Celebrations at the Marina Beach is a must see.
The high court has ordered that PoP Idols should not be immersed in the water bodies, hence the Munnani has installed the eco friendly paper mache idols.
Bengaluru
The Mysore Palace will come to Bengaluru at the 55th edition of the Bengaluru Ganesh Utsava that will be held on The National College Grounds in Basavanagudi. The 11-day cultural festival which begins on Friday will have a replica of the Durbar Hall of the Mysore Palace to welcome Lord Ganesha.
The festival will be eco-friendly by being plastic-free. The Ganesha idol is also being reused from last year. The Durbar Hall has been designed by film art director B Vittal, popularly known as Appaiah. Gilded columns, stained glass ceilings and decorative chandeliers, which are hallmarks of the Mysore Palace have been recreated here in Bengaluru.
Tiruvananthapuram
Trivandrum is one of the few places that makes eco-friendly Ganesh idols using clay and milk. It has completely banned use of plastic and plaster of paris this year. The procession from the Ganapati Temple to Shanghumukham Beach is a must watch with local artists and dancers dancing throughout the way with variety of instruments being played till the idol is immersed in the sea.
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