Khairatabad Ganesha Fest Begins With Karra Puja

Hyderabad: The auspicious Karra Puja, marking the start of the construction of the Khairatabad Ganesh idol will begin at 5 pm on June 6. Present at the event at the Khairatabad Library Building will be Telangana BJP president and Union minister G. Kishan Reddy, Khairatabad MLA and Utsav Committee president Danam Nagender, ex-MLA Chintala Ramachandra Reddy and corporator P. Vijaya Reddy.

Last year’s idol was the 70-foot Ayodhya Rama, to mark the 70th year of the festival at Khairatabad. The height for this year is expected to be between 60 and 70 feet and the exact theme and design will be announced later.

Organisers said this year’s event, ahead of the 71st Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations at Khairatabad, was more special as it fell on Nirjal Ekadashi, one of the most auspicious days in the calendar.

Singari Raj Kumar, chairman of the Ganesh Utsav Committee, Khairatabad, said the idol construction work will begin right after the Karra Puja. Initial work includes shaping and fabrication, followed by welding, which will start on July 18. The basic structural work will be completed between August 15 and 20, while the final design of the idol is expected to be revealed 15 to 20 days after fabrication begins.

Artist Karan Nagendra, who has been building the idol for over 22 years, will lead a team of nearly 100 workers. When asked about the differences from last year, organisers said the focus is on doing an even better job this time for the public and devotees. This year, the idol will be completely eco-friendly.

Government support has also been strong this year. “All departments, police, municipality, waterworks and the forest department are helping. The CM and Minister Ponnam Prabhakar are fully supporting us,” a committee member said.