States » WestPosted at: Sep 20 2026 6:42PM


Cow Dung Ganesh idols promote eco-friendly celebrations

Rajapur, Sep 20 (UNI) With the Ganesh festival evoking deep devotion and enthusiasm among people, two practitioners from Ratnagiri and Khed have been promoting an eco-friendly alternative by making Ganesh idols from cow dung for nearly a decade.
Panchgavya practitioner Suhas Pandit from Rajapur and Yogesh Ambre from Gunde-Ganwal in Khed taluka have been creating Ganesh idols using dung from indigenous cows to spread awareness about environmental conservation while encouraging people to preserve traditional practices.
Ganesh idols were traditionally made from Shadu clay.
However, the limited availability and rising cost of the material gradually led to the use of alternative materials, including plaster of Paris (PoP).
Though PoP idols are attractive and can be moulded into intricate designs, they do not dissolve easily after immersion and can contribute to water pollution.
Against this backdrop, cow dung idols are being promoted as an environmentally friendly alternative.
The cow dung is first dried and converted into powder before being mixed with a premix to prepare the material. The mixture is then manually filled into moulds to shape the idols. Natural colours are used instead of chemical-based paints to give the idols an attractive appearance.
According to the makers, around two kilograms of cow dung and premix are required to make a one-foot-tall idol. A single idol takes approximately 45 minutes to make manually, while a machine can produce around 20 idols in an hour. The idols generally require about two days to dry.
Ambre said the cost of producing a one-foot cow dung Ganesh idol is around Rs 700-800. He claimed that since the cow dung mixes with water, the immersion process does not create the same disposal problem associated with non-biodegradable materials. UNI SP SAS
Tags: #Cow Dung Ganesh idols promote eco-friendly celebrations
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