Giant Ganesha..

Khairatabad Ganesha

After a quiet Sunday morning I met up with Sujoy & Sneha in the afternoon. They wanted to show me the huge Ganesha in Khairatabad - the biggest idol in Hyderabad, and probably in the whole of AP. The road leading to the idol was closed off to traffic and was full of market traders selling food,  balloons, tat and all sorts of stuff. It was very busy - kept my backpack in front of me after Sujoy warned me of pick-pocketers. As we approached the idol the crowds increased. We were swept past the giant Ganesha - about 75ft fall! Either side were 2 other idols - Shiva and Lakashmi (I think).  The sweet held in the hand will be auctioned - last year it sold for 800,000 rupees! It will then be broken up and given out.  I snapped some photos as we were ushered along. On the way back we passed a mosque - strange how 2  religions can co-exist together with no apparent problems - refreshing to see.

Durgam Churuvu Ganesha

The following day, after a long day at work (finished around 8:45pm), I decided to walk to see another famous local Ganesha - think it's becoming some sort of obsession with me! I walked past several IT companies and then ended up walking down a dimly lit dodgy area down some very rough tracks which I was happy to get out of. I ended up by a lake called Durgam Churuvu. By the side of the lake was another large idol - only 55ft this one! Each one if different - this one was very pink and slightly lop-sided! This one was also 'eco-friendly', being made from clay & sand from West Bengal. Eventually each idol is immersed in water, so there has been a drive towards those that do not cause harm to the environment. I took a few photos then hopped into an auto and headed back home.