This year marks the 71st celebration of the Khairtabad Ganesh Utsav. The tradition began in 1954 by freedom fighter Singari Shankaraih.
The Maha Ganapati idol stands at 69 feet tall and 28 feet wide,taking the divine form of Shantamurthy, symbolising the cosmic balance of the Trimurti.
Over the course of 84 days, 125 artisans joined hands to construct this year's Ganapati, using around 1,000 bags of clay, 30 tons of steel, 70 bags of rice husk, and 50 cartloads of paddy - all natural and eco-friendly.
Shilpi Chinnaswamy Rajendran, chief sculptor of the Khairtabad Ganesh, was first asked to sculpt a nine-foot idol in 1978.
From nine feet in 1978 to 69 feet in 2025, Khairtabad Ganesh has cemented itself as one of the tallest - and most iconic - Ganapati idols across the country.