MM Farooqui Hyderabad

Preparationsare in full swing ahead of the 11-day Ganesh Chaturthi festivities, which is starting from September 14. As preparations for the festival gather momentum across Hyderabad, the city’s idol markets are witnessing a major shift towards readymade Ganesh idols, with a significant number being brought in from Maharashtra and other nearby districts.

Even Dhoolpet, which is traditionally regarded as Hyderabad’s hub of idol makers and skilled artisans, is now increasingly selling readymade idols instead of manufacturing them locally.

Unlike in the past, artisans, who used to spend several days crafting the idols for the Ganesh Festival, are now procuring the readymade idols from other states to earn more money effortlessly.

Ganesh idols from other states have sprouted up in every nook and corner of the city, as these local artisans, who have been crafting the idols for many decades are now selling idols transported from Sholapur, Pune, Nashik, Malegaon and several smaller towns and villages in Maharashtra.

According to the idol-making community, nearly 90 per cent of the Ganesh idols currently available in the market are being transported from Maharashtra. Telangana Idol Makers Welfare Association Vice president Kailash Singh Hazari, an artisan, said that orders for making idols from locals have gone down from the last few years.

“Earlier, we artisans used to craft idols and sell them during the festival. But now, if an artisan makes an idol without receiving an order from people in the city, we face huge losses,” said Kailash Singh. He added, “We are facing huge losses after spending lakhs of rupees on making the idols.”

In Dhoolpet, only a handful of people are now making Ganesh idols based on specific customer orders. Most of the idols are being brought from outside and sold here,” said Ram Murthy, another artisan. Dhoolpet has around 70 to 80 idol makers and artisans, but only a limited number continue to manufacture idols from scratch. The rest have shifted towards sourcing finished idols from outside locations and selling them in Hyderabad.

Kailash Singh said, “People generally have the perception that idols manufactured in Maharashtra are better. However, idols made in Hyderabad, particularly Dhoolpet, have better finishing and quality. Another major advantage of buying locally manufactured idols is that the artisans are available to provide support if there is any damage during transportation or installation,” he said.