A child prays in front of a Lord Jagannath-like Ganesh idol in Cuttack. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack/Berhampur Sept. 19: Ganesh Puja committees across the state have left no stone unturned to make the festival a memorable one.

From palace replicas to creating awareness on exploitation of natural resources, theme-based pandals and idols were visible all over the state lending a new flavour to the festivities.

Members of Panchayat Club at Cantonment Road in Cuttack drew inspiration for their pandal from the ways through which natural resources have been exploited in the country.

“Starting from mining to the latest coalgate scam, exploitation of natural resources has been rampant. So, to create awareness on preserving our natural resources, we decided to come up with such a concept,” said Jayant Mohanty, a member of the club.

Various other clubs have also spent lavishly to create gigantic pandals.

A pandal replicating the famous Lalit Palace in Mysore is the centre of attraction at Nuapada this year. The organisers and members of Dibya Jyoti Club have spent nearly Rs 2 lakh to set up the 60ft high pandal. Last year they had created a replica of Dhaulagiri.

Another gigantic pandal, this time replicating the chariot of Lord Jagannath, has been created by the members of Club and Club at Mani Sahu Chhak.

“Our theme resembles Nandighosh, the chariot of Lord Jagannath. We have spent over Rs 1.5 lakh to create this pandal,” said the secretary of Club and Club, Rajendra Parida. The club has decided not to organise any cultural program during Ganesh Puja. The money thus saved will be spent towards the welfare of orphan children.

Apart from the pandals, even the Lord’s idols centre on different themes.

Kishore Club at Mangalabag has a sandalwood idol. Some of the other interesting idols were made out of supari, stones, rice and fur.

In Berhampur, an eco-friendly Ganesh idol is attracting devotees. The six-feet idol, created by Durga Prasad of Ilu Behera Sahi, is free from any chemical colours.

“The idol’s colour is black. I created the colour by burning the hard cover of coconuts. I have not used artificial or chemical colours,” said Durga Prasad.