In Surat a group of people built a 11-foot idol of Ganesh using 70 kg of neem bark on Sunday to celebrate Ganesh Puja.
The idol, built by 10 artisans, weighs about 600 kg and was built in a period of 35 to 4 days.
Apart from neem, different types of grass and soil have been filled in the idol to keep it stable. No chemicals were used anywhere.
Kinjal N Patel, the head of the association whikch bult the idol said that it was made using 70 to 80 kgs of neem and natural grass that is used in farms and further said that the motive behind the idea was to not cause any damage to the environment during the festive occasion.
Speaking to ANI, Ms Patel said, "We have used approximately 70 to 80 kg of neem and natural grass along with soil to build the idol. The main motive behind using these resources was to save the environment and not cause any degradation during the festive occasion."
Vratik Patel, another member of the association, said that the main motive was to create awareness about the importance of trees and plants among the people.
"We created the idol using the natural resources and tree components because we wanted to create an awareness regarding the importance of trees and plants among the people so that people start caring about the environment," he added.
Meanwhile, in Mayurbhanj, in Odisha, a youth organisation celebrated the 18th Ganesh Utsav by preparing a 15-foot tall Ganesh idol using 25,000 glass bangles, and the pandal has been made of bamboo in Baripada.
Friends Union Organisation President Saumya Ranjan Mishra told ANI, "We are celebrating Ganesh Puja for 5 days according to the tradition of Maharashtra. The festival lasts for 8 days with tribal traditional songs, dances, a national-level dance competition, and much more. Prasad distribution takes place for 5 days. Some artists come from West Bengal and other states. Very unique 15-foot Ganesh idol made by 25000 (twenty-five thousand) glass bangles. This is the main attraction of our Ganesh festival, for which devotees come from different states."
Cashier of the organisation Srikant Barik said, "This time we are celebrating 18th year. We have spent more than 22 to 25 lakhs all together for this decoration and making unique idols."
