A large tribute to the lord

As a part of the inauguration of the ‘Bengaluru Ganesha Utsava 2012’, renowned playback singer K J Yesudas recently unveiled the largest ladoo the City has seen by far, along with a mammoth sand Ganesha at Sri Mallikarjuna Temple Grounds, Basavanagudi.The one-of-a-kind ladoo weighed 6380 kilograms and was 10-by-10 feet in dimension.

Over a period of 15 days (involving 1050 man-hours), seven chefs busily worked to prepare it, with 1300 kilograms of gram flour, 1600 kilograms of pure ghee, 300 kilograms of maida, 500 kilograms of dry fruits, 2800 kilograms of sugar and one kilogram of saffron — with a generous portion of love and devotion for Lord Ganesha.

This was the first time in India that a ladoo of this magnitude was showcased and it is a strong contender to feature in the Limca Book of Records and Guinness Book of World Records, owing to its size, delicious flavour and quantity of ingredients.

 “We are delighted to present the largest ladoo and larger-than-life size sand art Ganesha as a part of the Ganesha Utsava. These unique elements will add to the grandeur of our 50th-year celebrations,” said S M Nandish, managing trustee of the ‘Shree Vidyaranya Yuvaka Sangha’.

The other magnificent unveiling was that of the 50-feet wide and 14 feet tall intricately sculpted sand Ganesha. Artists Ranjan Ganguly and Omprakash Barik from Puri, Orissa, along with a team of 10 people, used 25 truckloads of sand to give life to this spectacular sand sculpture of Ganesha, along with Lord Shiva and Parvati.

Painstakingly made over 15 days, the completion of the sculpture clocked more than 1400 man-hours from the talented artists.

Such a massive and grand sand sculpture will be showcased for the first time in India, that too in our own city of Bangalore.  During the unveiling, KJ Yesudas said, “Presenting these unique show pieces for the first time in India will be one of the memorable moments of my life. I am looking forward to being a part of this cultural Utsava and hope to be associated with them in the long term.”

Both the ladoo and the sculpture will be on display at the temple grounds in Basavanagudi during the 50th Bengaluru Ganesh Utsava till September 29.