As India celebrates Ganesh Chaturthi from September 14 through Anant Chaturdashi on September 25, artisans and devotees are going well beyond traditional clay idols — crafting my friend Ganesha in everything from diamond-studded statues to bangles, to edible dates and pani puri.
Viksit Bharat Vision
Celebrating their 50th year, the Mallikarjuna Nagar Youth Welfare Association in Uppuguda, Hyderabad, built a futuristic, armour-like robotic Ganesha alongside a high-speed bullet train display. The pandal further incorporated industrial models and patriotic posters depicting India’s technological progress toward 2047.
Gold & Diamond Ganesha
In Begum Bazaar market, Hyderabad, devotees installed a glittering 48-kg Ganesha idol coated in 24-carat gold plating and studded with over 3.8 lakh sparkling American diamonds, making it one of the season’s most valuable pandal centrepieces with an estimated value of ₹4 crores.
Dried Dates & Raisins Ganesha
Set up by the Miracle Youth association in Sheela Nagar, Visakhapatnam, this edible creation features a Ganesha idol sculpted entirely out of 100 kilograms of dried dates, complete with a companion mouse (Mooshak) assembled from 10 kg of black raisins.
13-Foot Pani Puri Ganesha
Outside the Ganesh Bhel outlet on Fergusson College (FC) Road in Pune, artist Prashant Salunkhe crafted a towering 13-foot-high, 10-foot-wide Ganesha idol using 21,000 crispy pani puri puris. Built over a bamboo and paper frame using excess dough that would have otherwise gone to waste, the eco-friendly structure took nearly two months of preparation to assemble.
Natural Seashell Ganesha
{{/usCountry}}Outside the Ganesh Bhel outlet on Fergusson College (FC) Road in Pune, artist Prashant Salunkhe crafted a towering 13-foot-high, 10-foot-wide Ganesha idol using 21,000 crispy pani puri puris. Built over a bamboo and paper frame using excess dough that would have otherwise gone to waste, the eco-friendly structure took nearly two months of preparation to assemble.
Natural Seashell Ganesha
{{/usCountry}}Installed near Jagadamba Junction, Visakhapatnam, this coastal-themed installation is constructed out of over 6,000 natural, hand-picked ocean seashells meticulously glued onto a reinforced frame to form the deity’s distinct shape.
50,000 Living Plant Ganesha
Located at Sri Chintamani Ganapathi Datta Kshetram in Visakhapatnam, this 20-foot “Maha Sasya Ganapathi” is grown out of 50,000 living saplings woven into a massive vertical botanical structure that requires daily watering to stay green.
1 Crore Rudraksha Ganesha
Unveiled on Beach Road, Visakhapatnam, for Vinayaka Chavithi, this imposing sacred idol is intricately woven together using ten million (1 crore) real Rudraksha beads strung over a heavy wooden superstructure.
1 Crore Bangle Ganesha
Installed in the Srinagar area of Gajuwaka by SV Entertainments, the Sri Divya Kankana Alankara Maha Ganapati idol is embellished with over 1 crore (10 million) colourful glass bangles sourced from Uttar Pradesh. Constructed over a wooden log and cane framework by master artisans from Chirala, the installation stands as a major festival attraction celebrating traditional Indian ornamentation.
Record-breaking festive modaks
Sweetmakers are also pushing culinary boundaries for Bappa this year. In Nashik, Sagar Sweets (Vidya Vikas Circle) introduced 24-carat edible gold-leaf wrapped modaks priced at ₹27,000 per kg ( ₹540 per piece), along with silver-leaf kaju variants at ₹2,000 per kg. Meanwhile, in Kolkata, West Bengal, iconic sweet shop Balaram Mullick & Radharaman Mullick unveiled a colossal 1,100-kilogram mega-modak decorated with hundreds of kilos of cashews, almonds, and dried figs as their grand festival centerpiece.