Telangana: Dhanvantri theme planned for 'Khairatabad Ganesh' this year, idol height to be reducecd

In the view of coronavirus pandemic, the organisers of the Ganesh Chaturthi festivities at Khairatabad have decided to scale down the height of the idol to 27 feet in order to avoid gathering of devotees.

Hyderabad: The organisers of the Ganesh Chaturthi festivities at Khairatabad here, famous for erecting towering idols every year, have proposed to scale down the height to 27 feet and will do away with a gathering of devotees in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

The idol would be made on the theme of Dhanvantari, the God of medicine, as the organisers want to see that the threat of COVID-19 goes away, chief architect of the idol Chinnaswamy Rajendran told a news agency on Thursday.

The Khairatabad Ganesh, as the idol is popularly known, is famous for its height and attracts thousands of devotees every day during the 11-day Vinayaka Chaviti festivities.

The height of the idol last year was a massive 63-feet and is usually carried on special equipment in a procession for immersion in the nearby Hussain Sagar lake.

However, this year, it was proposed to install a 27-feet tall idol and the height can be reduced further, Rajendran said. In the past, our prayers to Lord Ganesh, including rains (when there was a shortage), and separate Telangana state, were realised. This year, our prayer is that we get rid of the coronavirus, he said.

In a break from the past, a clay idol would be installed for the first time and organic colours would be used, he said. The nimajjanam (immersion) is planned to be carried out at the spot where it is installed and the public would not be allowed for worship like every year, he said.

"Only committee members would be present at the time of 'nimajjanam'. Public would not be allowed," he said. Rajendran said devotees can book puja on a website and watch the prayers, online, performed in their name.

(PTI Report)