Ganesh Chaturthi is one of the most highly celebrated festivals in India and to commemorate the festival on September 10 an artist named Saswad Ranjan Sahoo from Puri made an idol of Lord Ganesha with only using matchsticks. To make this stunning idol of Lord Ganesha he used around 5621 matchsticks and Saswad Ranjan Sahoo also so worked for 8 days to complete the idol. The width of the Lord Ganesha idol is 22 inches and its length is 23 inches and entirely it is made up of matchsticks.
Speaking about his artwork to India today television, Saswad Ranjan Sahoo said that he was always inspired to make an ideal of Lord Ganesha as a child. After years he finally got a chance to make one and he decided to make the statue only with matchsticks.
Saswad Ranjan Sahoo said to Indian Today television “As a child, I always wanted to make a statue of Lord Ganesha, but I never got a chance. This time, I made a different type of statue of Lord Ganesha and worshipped him at home. “The pictures of the idol, as well as him, are going very much viral on several social media platforms. Indeed it is a unique idea from the artist hailing from Puri in Odisha for crafting an idol of Lord Ganesha using mastic on this auspicious day. While speaking to ANI, Saswad Ranjan Sahoo said “Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, celebrations for the Ganesh Chaturthi are subdued. Hence, I thought of creating something new. I will be praying to this idol at the festival at my home amid the pandemic.” Ganesh Chaturthi is one of the most popular festivals of India and this 10-day festival starts on the fourth day of the Hindu lunisolar calendar month Bhadrapada.
It is starting on September 10 of the year. The amazing festival is celebrated with much fanfare in different parts of the country where larks of devotees of Lord Ganesha visit temples and converge into Mandal to seek blessings from Lord Ganesha. However, due to the outbreak of the pandemic and the spread of the deadly virus of Corona, the government has applied many restrictions in different places where still the covid cases are high. Thus the mandals might witness a lesser growth due to the restrictions employed by the government. Images of The talented artist with his artwork are also posted by ANI on the official Twitter account and the pictures got a poster with the caption saying “It took me 8 days to prepare this 23 inches long & 22 inches wide idol using 5621 matchsticks. I’ll follow COVID protocols & offer prayers at my home.”
