Pure handmade stunning Ganesha idols in Karnataka infused in the hues and cultural heritage by Maharashtra and West Bengal artisans
Migrant artisans told me Karnataka has been our second home, as we migrate every year from Kolkata to create Ganesha idols for the Ganesha festival.
Ganesh Utsav is a joyous festival celebrated with enthusiasm throughout India by people of different religions. Owing to Lokmanya Tilak, the festival became popular in India against British rule in the 19th century. Thousands of artisans across India, viz., Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal come to the IT city Bengaluru to showcase and trade these unique idols they craft. According to these craftsmen here in Bengaluru, they get better price offers for their craftsmanship.
Earning from Rs.250 up to Rs.15,000 for larger ones, artisans like Ganesh Roy from W. Bengal said, “I have been into this craft for 30 years and it’s a skill passed down from my father. Here, innovation takes center stage. Designing idols 10 feet or more is rare elsewhere. That’s possible here only and hence, my team and I come here regularly.” From eye, head to feet these art pieces are the incredible craftsmanship of these skilled artisans and painted by hand. Safer for the environment these artisans use water-based paints.
Similarly, an artist from Maharashtra mused, “The state’s demand for eco-friendly Ganeshas makes it a welcoming hub for artists like us who visit outside Karnataka.”
The Bengali artists especially bring clay for these idols from the Hooghly-Ganga river. Ganesh Roy said that the fine finishing of these idols is only achieved through the pure clay brought from the riverside. Expert Bengali idol makers design large and innovative Ganesha idols with pure riverside clay, bamboo, and wood sticks filled with jute and dry grass inside. The outer clay applied on these idols gives a splendid eco-friendly look. People these days are more fond of buying these eco-friendly Ganpati idols seeing the minuses of plaster-of-Paris idols.
Hubballi in Karnataka where Ganesh idol makers especially from West Bengal come a few months before the festivity and start crafting beautiful and gigantic eco-friendly Ganesh idols. These Bengali artisans participate in North Karnataka’s 11-day grand community Ganesha festival which has a history of over a century.
In the 1990s, the enormous-sized Ganesha idols came into fashion. Since then, skilled artists and their teams from West Bengal are being invited to make large-size community idols. The number of community idols is now more than 900 in Hubballi and has overtaken Belagavi where the grandest Ganesha celebration takes place.
Chief artisan Appu Pal said, “We make about 45,000 Ganesha idols in various postures and sizes to sell in the local markets and also supply in other parts of Karnataka or in the neighbouring states of Goa and Maharashtra.”
Local artists of old Hubballi feel that the increasing popularity of artists from West Bengal is affecting their businesses. A local artist disappointedly said, “These Bengali artists use grass and wood sticks owing to which they charge less for the idols in comparison to the clay idols we make.”
Through these eco-friendly idols, one can celebrate this festival without hampering our environment. By choosing eco-friendly idols we are honouring our traditions and environment too.
