JOIN US Shree Vidyaranya Yuvaka Sangha, organisers of The Bengaluru Ganesh Utsava (BGU), on Thursday unveiled the recreation of the Belur-Halebid temples as a curtain raiser to its 52nd year celebrations in the City.
The temple replica, which is the main attraction of the Utsava this year, was inaugurated by the veteran theatre personality Master Hirannaiah at the APS College grounds in Basavanagudi.
S M Nandish, Managing Trustee, Shree Vidyaranya Yuvaka Sangha, said the replicas of the temples were constructed using clay, plaster of Paris and fibre-reinforced polymer.
Clay is moulded to create the required structure. Plaster of Paris (PoP) is then poured on this base, post which the PoP structure is used as a mould to create the fibre-reinforced polymer structure. Several such structures were assembled at the grounds to create the imposing marvel. The Belur-Halebid temples are surrounded by the idols of ‘Ashtavinayaka’ (the eight avatars of Ganesha).
“Every year, we try and keep something that is unique during the Bengaluru Ganesh Utsava. This year, we thought why not take people to the Hoysala Empire. The Belur-Halebid temples are renowned for their intrinsic craftsmanship, which is missing in the modern day architecture,” Nandish said.