More than 200 people gathered at a temple in Bengaluru last Saturday for an event promoting the respectful disposal of sacred images and idols. The event, called Udhvasana, is an initiative of a non-profit organisation called HSR Citizen Forum.
HSR Citizen Forum, founded by Dr Shanthi Tummala, has been active for the last 30 years. In recent years, it has started a novel initiative to tackle a problem faced by many devotees: how to correctly and respectfully dispose of old idols and images of Gods.
Last Saturday’s event at a temple in HSR Layout proved just how many devotees are keen for a solution.
HT.com spoke to Suma Sarjapura, an executive committee member of the HSR Citizen Forum, to understand why the initiative matters and what happens to the religious memorabilia that is collected.
What is the point of Udhvasana?
Suma Sarjapura explained that the issue of respectful disposal of sacred artefacts came up when the group was discussing solid waste management. “We were thinking how to dispose of these divine photos and divine idols, which are just left under trees and on the streets,” she said.
“Most of the divine idols and photos are discarded there. We always wondered how to rightly dispose of them because these are religious and a lot of religious sentiments are associated with them.”
{{/usCountry}}“Most of the divine idols and photos are discarded there. We always wondered how to rightly dispose of them because these are religious and a lot of religious sentiments are associated with them.”
{{/usCountry}}Udhvasana is an initiative to solve this problem by ensuring that the sacred idols do not end up in landfill. Sustainability is at the heart of this initiative, Sarjapura added.
When does the event take place?
The HSR Citizen Forum organises an Udhvasana event once every three months. Last Saturday’s event was the seventh edition of this initiative.
Where do these events take place?
A temple in Bengaluru’s HSR Layout donates space for the event to take place. It has been donating space since the very first Udhvasana event.
What happens at the event?
Devotees can show up with old sacred images and idols that they want to dispose of sustainably and respectfully. Volunteers of HSR Citizen Forum collect and segregate these photos, photo frames and idols.
“After collecting the frames, we weigh them and a small donation is requested from the devotees,” Sarjapura explained.
Although a donation is requested, it is not mandatory. The priest at the temple conducts an Udhvasana Pooja.
What is an Udhvasana Pooja?
Suma Sarjapura explained that an Udhvasana Pooja is done during the collection process.
“You are constantly doing pooja for the idol, which has a religious attachment, right? And finally, once you want to give it away, there is a giving away pooja, which is called the Udvasana Pooja,” she elaborated.
“Once that is done, we see people getting easily detached from their idols or photos which they have been praying to for a really long time. It's an easy way of giving them away.”
What happens to the idols and religious photos collected?
The aim of the initiative is to make sure that the images and idols do not end up in a landfill. Volunteers work for days afterwards to segregate the collections, and they are subsequently recycled or upcycled.
“We dismantle all these into different categories—easily about 13 to 14 categories, like metal, plastic, wood, cardboard, paper, POP items, and all that.
“After segregation, they get delivered to their respective factories where they get recycled or upcycled—whatever needs to happen—so it doesn't go to the landfill. This is the whole idea behind the Udvasana program,” Suma Sarjapura said.
How many people attended?
The HSR Citizen Forum executive added that last Saturday’s event drew 212 devotees. More than 1,762 kilograms of religious artefacts were collected. Over the next six days, volunteers will work to sort and dispose them correctly.
While keeping tons of waste out of landfills remains a key outcome, Sarjapura stresses that Udhvasana is fundamentally about encouraging sustainability and mindful consumption within the community.
"The main purpose is to bring about awareness so people stop buying these photo frames unnecessarily," she noted, highlighting how difficult complex items like laminates are to recycle. "Dividing one photo frame into 13 different categories takes a lot of labor. We want people to realize this and choose more sustainable alternatives when buying or gifting sacred items in the future."