A woman paints Ganesh idols displayed for sale, while her child rests on the eve of the festival in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday. (AP)

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 18: The idol makers in the capital city are burning the midnight oil to carve out replicas of the Lord.

With just a day left for the festival, the artists are leaving no stone unturned to woo buyers. Devotees in the capital are spoilt for choice, as the idols of pot-bellied Ganesh are available in different avatars in the market.

Although the idols are more expensive compared to last year, it has not dampened the spirit of the buyers.

Taking a different route from the clichéd artistry, the idol-makers have used their imagination flamboyantly. They have worked on the stories of Hindu mythology by portraying Ganapati in the form of Lord Vishnu, who is relaxing on the sheshnag and also like Lord Krishna, dancing on the hoods of the evil Kalia snake.

While some have preferred to craft Lord Ganesh as a baby resting on the lap of His parents — Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati —others tried experimenting with His vahana, moushak, creating it as big as a tiger.

The halo of Ganesh also appears to be the favourite playground of the craftsmen, who have painted it with the colours of the national flag or in bright fluorescent flames.

There are few, who have displayed subtle creativity by making the idol of the God using designs of Pipal leaves. The shops also have monochromatic idols in abundance.

Pleased with the sales, the idol sellers give the credit to the new designs.

“We start making these idols four to five months in advance. There is no restriction on the imagination. We try experimenting with the themes since customers also prefer novel designs of the idols,” said Prakash Chandra Mishra, a vendor at Unit-I market.

The devotees have the luxury to choose from an idol a few inches tall to several feet high. The prices range from Rs 40 to Rs 6,000 depending on the size and intricacies of the artwork. The vendors claim that they try to meet the expectations of the consumer every year by introducing new creations.

“Every year, I am given the charge of buying the idol for my office. I get to see a wider variety in the crafting every time,” said Badri Mohanty, a local resident.

The spirit of customers has not died down, even if they are complaining about the high prices.

“Though the vendors have doubled their prices making it tough for devotees to buy their favourite idol, one is indeed spoilt for choice with such a range of designs,” he added.