As the annual Ganesh Chaturthi festival draws near, many idol makers in Surat have been increasingly using mud from the Ganga and Tapi to make Lord Ganesha idols instead of Plaster of Paris, as is usually the practice.

The artisans come from West Bengal and stay in Surat for a few months till Ganesh Chaturthi.

They bring mud from Ganga

with them and even use mud from the Tapi to make the idols. Such idols are costlier than those made from Plaster of Paris.

However, unlike the ones made of Plaster of Paris—which are seen floating days after immersion—mud idols get dissolved within few hours of immersion.

Santosh Mandal, an artisan, said: “The purpose of using mud from rivers like Ganga and Tapi to make Ganesha idols is that it is free from chemicals. Ganga and Tapi are mythological rivers, so we use mud from there; Plaster of Paris has no place in our religion. During immersion, the chemicals used in idols made of Plaster of Paris also affect marine life.”

Santosh has been an artisan for 15 years now; and since the last couple of years, he has been coming regularly to Surat to make mud idols of Lord Ganesha. “We are seeing a change in customer demands in Surat, as they now prefer mud idols over Plaster of Paris.”

Another artisan, Jeewan Pal, said: “Comparatively, Plaster of Paris idols take less time to complete and are much cheaper. Our work is harder, as we have to wait longer for the mud to dry. Around 20 artists have come from different places in West Bengal and they regularly come to Surat ahead of Ganesh Chaturti. It takes nearly three days to make a 9-foot idol, while it takes just a day to make one with Plaster of Paris. We sell around 100 idols every year in Surat.”

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