Ganesha idol made of wood apples costs Rs 40,000

Chennai, Aug 27 (UNI) With idols made of plaster of paris and painted with oil colours being banned since last year, images of Lord Ganesha made of papier mache or clay are being used to celebrate Ganesh Chathurthi festival in Tamil Nadu.

The idols come in various sizes with some 'innovations'. Two such innovative idols are attracting attention this year in Chennai city. One of them depicts, Lord Ganesha as a doctor. equipped with a stethoscope, this Ganesha is seen examining a family hit by chikungunya fever, widely prevalent now in this part of the country.

Also Attracting the attention of the people, is a huge 3.5 tonne idol of the elephant headed God, made mainly of wood apples and a few other fruits. As many as 4000 wood apples were required to get the exact form, with other fruits like apple and sweet lime, numbering 1000 also being used.

According to priest T Nagar Santhanam, who organised the celebration of the festival in this area in the city, 12 workers were employed to make this ''fruity'' Ganesa idol. ''They worked relentlessly for a fortnight to complete the task'', he told UNI.

However, this Ganesha is out of reach of the common man's purse, priced as it is at a whopping Rs 40,000 as Santhanam revealed.

This year, most of the idols for the festival, which is celebrated with fervour by the rich and the poor alike, have been bought from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh by many traditional manufacturers in Kosapet area in Central Chennai.

UNI VV SHB KP1620