There are hundreds of Vinayaka idols installed at temples, in the street corners and in gated communities, but some are attracting the public attention for their novel themes or for the ingredients used.
One such is the ‘Thamalapaku Vinayakudu’ made of betel leaves that is making eyes turn. The idol is installed at Sri Kalyana Venkateswara Swamy temple in Thummalagunta village of Tirupati rural mandal.
Thummalagunta has the habit of using a novel theme every year and has been envied by other colonies abutting the city. Chandragiri former MLA Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy, who hails from this village, was always in the forefront in making novel Ganesh idols.
A whopping 10,000 betel leaves were used for making the idol that was ordered by Bala Vinayaka Festival Committee, formed with the local residents of the village. It took ten artistes and seven days to bring the bundles of betel leaves into an art form that stands today as an eye-catching idol of the elephant-headed God.
Also, the path leading to the idol was decorated with creepers and plants in such a way that the devotees feel as if walking through a forest. A team of stage managers and architects working for Tollywood came all the way from Hyderabad to this little village to make the ‘stage setting’.
Tirupati ex-MLA Bhumana Karunakar Reddy formally inaugurated the idol in the presence of TUDA former Chairman Chevireddy Mohith Reddy. “The ingredients used are paper pulp, clay and betel leaves and no toxic substances have gone into the making of this idol”, asserts Mr. Bhaskar Reddy.
Traffic on SPMVV road came to a standstill on Sunday as devotees continued to throng the temple to have a glimpse of the novel idol.
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Published - September 09, 2024 02:37 am IST
