Creativity on Display at Vizag's Ganesh Chaturthi Pandals
Religious architecture inspired several pandals, with elaborate recreations of the Ayyapa temple at Kobbaripitha, the Puri Jagannath Swamy temple at Velampeta and various Shivalingam sets across the city. A mermaid-themed pandal was seen near Pedda Waltair.
Visakhapatnam: The city came alive with vibrant Ganesha festival celebrations this time when the organisers set up more than 1,050 pandals, displaying varied themes.
In the north Andhra region, the authorities granted permission to thousands of pandals - 6,300 in Srikakulam district, 3,678 in Anakapalli, and 4,700 in Vizianagaram — all processed through a streamlined single-window system.
This year's celebrations here stood out for their innovative themes. At Jalaripeta, organisers created a unique Mahatma Gandhi-shaped Ganesha idol, while Peda Jalaripeta featured a water-well-boring theme. Other creative installations included one idol fashioned by Royal Challengers Bangalore at Relliveedi and a ‘Save the Animals’ concept idol.
Religious architecture inspired several pandals, with elaborate recreations of the Ayyapa temple at Kobbaripitha, the Puri Jagannath Swamy temple at Velampeta and various Shivalingam sets across the city. A mermaid-themed pandal was seen near Pedda Waltair.
Organisers of a pandal at the fishing harbor crafted a unique Ganesha using a Pulsar bike. Amar, one of the organisers, explained that months of dedicated work went into transforming an old motorcycle into the divine form. "We took an old bike and made it like Ganesha ourselves. After working hard for months, the form of Ganesha has emerged," he said.
The Yuvasena Foundation created a powerful image with their Operation Sindoor Bramhos Missile Ganesha concept. Hari from the foundation stated that the installation was dedicated to all the families affected by the Pahalagam incident and the soldiers involved in Operation Sindoor.
Among the star attractions were the Koti Lingala Ganesha, erected using one crore Shiva Lingas, and the Sri Sundara Vastra Maha Ganesh, designed with one lakh saris, both located at Gajuwaka. Also, the Pure Silver Ganesha is seen with the set of TTD on the beach road.
Environmental consciousness was evident in the pandal themes in Srikakulam district, where the state pollution control board distributed over 4,000 clay idols, cloth bags and educational materials to promote eco-friendly celebrations. Executive engineer Balaga Karunasri said there is good response from all sections of society, which encouraged registration through a special QR code system.
Some of the smaller idols were immersed on the third day, Sunday, and the rest are scheduled for the 5th, 9th and 21st days of the festival. However, some organisers have opted for earlier immersions due to the lunar eclipse of Sept 7-8. The larger idols would attract visitors for the full 26-day celebration period.
The saree-draped idol at Gajuwaka would see a traditional ceremony featuring sacred Abhishekam rituals using turmeric, flowers and Kumkum. After the ceremonial worship, all the sarees used in the idol's erection would be distributed among the devotees as prasadam.
Similarly, the Koti Linga Ganesha would undergo the same ritualistic Abhishekam ceremony before its immersion, following which the Shivalingas would be distributed, the organisers said.
