Eco Friendly Ganpati Idols

Eco-Friendly Ganpati Idols

Ganesh Chaturthi or “Vinayak Chaturthi” is one of the most sacred Hindu festivals. The festival celebrates the birth of Lord Ganesha – the supreme God of wisdom and prosperity. The festival is marked with the installation of Ganesha idols privately in homes, or publicly on elaborate pandals (temporary stages) across the country. In this article we highlight different eco-friendly alternatives to conventional Ganpati idols. Let’s have look at different at different types of Eco-friendly Ganpati Idols available online and make a promise to celebrate this festival more sustainably.

1. Clay Ganpati Idols

Clay Ganpati idols are made of natural mud and plain clay, decorated with natural chemicals. When these idols are immersed in water or let to nature, they just get dissolved without releasing any toxic materials.

2. Paper Pulp Ganpati Idols

Although most devotees are opting for clay idols, others are experimenting with other substances to make the celebrations more colourful like paper-pulp. These type of eco-friendly Ganpati Idol is made from recycled paper pulp. Old newspapers, notebooks & other paper is crushed into pulp. Later, the pulp is sculpted into beautiful & wholly bio-degradable Ganpati idol. The paper mache or pulp Ganpati Idols are very strong and light weighted by nature. As per a general estimate, this idols are upto 10 times lighter than clay idols.

3. Seed Ganpati Idols

Occasionally, tomato, honge or basal seeds are also mixed in clay (or paper pulp) used to create eco-friendly ganpati idols and hence when these idols are visargit in a pot, they give life to beautiful plants. These are also called as plantable Ganesha idols.

4. Other Eco-Friendly Ganpati Idols

• Water Cleansing GanPati Idols: These Ganpati idols are made with activated charcoal and pure clay, a combination that preserves and cleans our lakes as the idol is immersed in water.
• Fish Friendly Ganpati Idols: Mumbai-based NGO Sprouts Environmental Trust makes ganpati idols that fish can eat. The idols are made with clay and stuffed with fish-friendly food such as corn, spinach, wheat and vegetable powder. The team has also reduced the size of the idols and decorated them with biodegradable, organic colours such as turmeric, chandan and gerua.
• Gobar Ganesha: People have also turned to ubiquitous cow dung for creating an enviornment friendly ganpati idols. These idols when immersed in water or mixed in soil naturally degrade and turn into manure for plant species.