Welcome to Bommala Quarters, the outlying colony in Mangalam area of Tirupati, which is abuzz with activity during this time of the year. Come Vinayaka Chavithi, this colony witnesses a heavy congregation of bhajan groups, youth associations and residential societies involved in the installation of huge Ganesh idols at the street corners, in their gated communities and other places.
While making eco-friendly Ganesh idols has become a trend today, this colony already made it their agenda long ago. The artisans here make a paste made of tapioca and mix it with paper pulp and other ingredients to make the huge idols, which subsequently get dissolved easily during the immersion ceremony. “We abstain from using Plaster of Paris in view of the damage caused by it to the environment,” said Selva Raj, an artist.
The themes adopted are also different here. While idols of Ganesh seated on a mouse are common, idols of the elephant-headed god in the company of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, Lord Subrahmanya, Lord Vishnu, Goddess Lakshmi and others could be witnessed.
The colony had come to limelight many years ago during the Kargil war, when they build a Ganesh idol atop an army tanker. Another time, they made an idol donning cricket pads and sporting a bat during the 2011 cricket World Cup, which was held in India. In the height of Covid-19 pandemic, Ganesh idols wearing masks were also installed.
Meanwhile, the traffic police have made arrangements to channelise the procession of idols in separate routes and on different timings to avoid congestion on the roads.
Published - September 05, 2024 08:26 pm IST
