'The Making of God': India's Ganesh Chathurti festival

Photographer Rajeev Rai's exhibition captures how Ganesha idols are made

By Poorna Harjani 2 September, 2011

"An army of Ganeshas," says Rai. Although all these idols have identical molds, each statue is painted according to customers' color requirements, in pearl white or sandalwood with gold ornaments.

In the first stage, the Ganesha is taken out of its mold and the artisan chisels the more intricate details into the statue. It is then brushed with paper and painted with a white primer base to seal the colors' brightness.

Oversized Ganesha idols are placed outside shops to attract people to order statues. Often the idols are too large to fit inside the workshops.

A typical artisan's house converted into a temporary workshop. During monsoon season, these structures are covered with tents. "That's the whole irony of this," Rai says. "The artists create beautiful Ganeshas but they don't have a beautiful house to live in."

"This is a shocking image to many as the artist is sitting on the idol which is god and can be taken to be disrespectful," says Rai. However because the workshops are filled with Ganeshas this becomes part of the interior and sitting like this can be part of a casual routine. Workers even sleep between Ganesha statues.

Worshippers place their heads at Ganesha's feet during prayers at the festival. However, for the artist, only once the Ganesha is complete is god thought to inhabit the form.

The hand lifted upwards is a gesture of blessing all Hindu gods use to devotees. With its blue skin tones, this Ganesha is inspired by Lord Shiva, Ganesha's mythological father. This Ganesha is loaded with jewelry as a symbol of prosperity.

This form of Ganesha is inspired by saints or "sadhus" who travel around with no possessions, and only a white dhoti around their hips.

The larger Ganeshas need a lot of manpower to be moved to their new homes and temples. Workers are now extra careful in their handling as the Ganesha is now in its complete form, and is god.

These craftsmen are known in India to be more religious than an average person because Ganesha is a source of income.

Artist and customer negotiating the selling of the Ganesh idol. The hands of the Ganesh are open so that the buyer can place an item of their choice in the idol's hands, once purchased.

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Ganesha, the elephant-headed god who Hindus believe can remove all obstacles and bring good fortune, is celebrated in the annual 11-day Ganesh Chathurti, at the beginning of September.

Having been involved in the festival since childhood, 37-year-old Mumbai photographer Rajeev Rai captures the four-month preparation in villages outside Mumbai, such as Pen and Kalayan, which are dedicated to making Lord Ganesha idols in various poses, colors and ornamental designs.

Sizes vary, anything from a few centimeters to more than seven meters tall, depending on customer requirements.

"We had a Ganesha coming to our home as children and we would get involved in decorating the temple at home and visiting places where artists worked," says Rai.

"So I went back to these villages where we used to book Ganesha idols. The artists knew me so were comfortable with me photographing them at work."

Photographer Rajeev Rai spent three months photographing the process of creating more than 10,000 Ganesh idols.

Trendy Ganesh idols

Thousands of Ganesha statues are transported through the streets of Mumbai during the festival and placed in decorated temporary tents for devotees to participate in prayers and take blessings.

On the last day of the festival, a huge street procession involving singing and dancing is held with all the Ganeshas taken to the sea to be immersed.

And the following year the cycle is repeated with a brand new Ganesh.

"Devotees keep demanding fresher, newer designs with each passing year," says Rai. “This year I have seen many Ganeshas in cricket form as India won the 2011 cricket for example."

"I’ve also seen Ganesha in Lord Krishna forms holding a flute, or in a dancing pose like Shiva. These different creations are to send the message to devotees that god is in all forms," he says.

Initially a physics student, Rai spent two years in New Delhi studying textile design and then switched again to professional photography.

His exhibition, "The Making of God" -- which will be held at the National Centre for Performing Arts for the duration of the festival -- is a series of pictures on the process of crafting hundreds of Ganesh idols.

Rai documents the sculpting, chiseling, painting and delivery of the idols, illuminating a backdrop to the Ganesha festival that's often lost in the spectacular visual of the main parades.

Tip from a photographer: Avoid the beaches on the last day of immersion as crowds are difficult to control. Unless pandemonium is your thing. In which case, the best views of the Ganesha Chathurti festival are from the famous Lalbaug Chalala which displays a 25-foot Ganesha idol in central Mumbai.

September 2-10, noon-8 p.m.

National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), opposite Oberoi Hotel, Yogakshema, Nariman Point; +91 (0)22 2283 3838.

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