Design Resource
Ganesha Idol Making
Pen, Maharashtra
by
History of Idol Making in Pen
Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed God, is one of the most adored deities for Hindusim, also known as Ganpati or Vinayaka. Lord Ganesha is the God of wisdom, prosperity, good fortune, and the destroyer of evils, and he is worshipped in most households without divisions or caste, wealth, or creed coming in the way. Due to all these qualities, he is also known as Vighnaharta. And the day of Ganesh Chaturthi is called Vinayaka Chaturthi. The festival honoring Ganesha is the Ganesh Chaturthi that can go up to 10 days. It is celebrated fervently in most parts of India due to its popularity as a God for all humans. For Maharashtra, it is one of the main festivals.
Ganesha Chaturthi is celebrated by installing idols of Lord Ganesha in households, temples, town squares, or pandals and worshipped for ten days. At the end of 10 days, the idols are immersed in water to denote the rebirth of God. These idols are coming in all sizes and shapes according to the accommodating ability of the worshippers. They are made from clay and Plaster of Paris (PoP). Still, the idol makers get less recognition for crafting these beautiful idols. They work all year-round to make these idols and supply them to metro cities. During this project, I was exposed to the various processes involved in making these idols, the lives of the workers, and the beauty of the whole process.
Pen and Idol making
Pen is small town between Mumbai and Pune in the Raigad district of Maharashtra, famous for making Ganesha idols, having a history of over 100 years old. 1t started with the Freedom fighting movement of India when Ganesh Chaturthi was popularized and has carried on all these years, becoming an industry with exports all over India as well as to the US and the UK.
The people of Pen scarted making Ganesha idols when it became a public domain of worship in the 1890's. There are about 1.5 lakh idol-making factories in Pen taluka where more than 2 lakh people are employed around the year. The Ganesha idols were initially made out of clay, brought from Bhavnagar and then transported to Mumbai to be sold at cheap prices. Slowly, Plaster of Paris started to be used and the real boom happened in the 1970's with the opening of the Thane creek and transportation made easier. The people of Pen make idols the whole year round, taking a break only during the Ganapati festival for 10 days.
