The celebration of Lord Ganesh's birthday, or Ganesh Chaturthi, which is honored across India, is moving toward being more and more environmentally friendly. Hindus celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi on the fourth day following the new moon which falls within a month of Bhadrapada. Ganesh Chaturthi is just round the corner and we would love to show you the DIY steps for making eco-friendly Lord Ganesha Idols using Clay at home. Something crafted out of your own hands will be the ultimate moment of happiness you will ever experience.
Try a new tradition this year! You can make your unique God idols by yourself! Homemade eco-friendly Ganesha is a wonderful, environmentally friendly substitute for buying Ganesha murtis which can pollute the water in Visarjan. So let us begin with the steps for your beautifully crafted idol with steps shared by eCraftIndia Artisans.
Eco Friendly Ganesha Idol

Steps on how to make eco-friendly Lord Ganesha idol at home using clay:

Materials to be used? The first and foremost things which you will need to make clay idols of Ganesh, are some:
  1. Acrylic paints (which you are comfortable with)
  2. Some clay (depending on the size of the statue which you might want to make)
  3. Some toothpicks, and we are good to go.
Eco Friendly Ganesha Idol Step 1

Step 1:

Take clay & mix it well with water. Later, we will be to divide your clay into different body parts:
  1. Head
  2. Stomach
  3. Ears
  4. Legs
  5. Trunk
  6. Hands
Eco Friendly Ganesha Idol Step 2

Step 2:

The next thing which you need to do is to fix the stomach to the base pedestal making the base flat and fixing the stomach on top. Now roll the legs as shown in the illustrated picture above.
  1. Flatten the base pedestal as you see a flat chapati or a roti and while fixing the stomach use a toothpick so that it remains intact even after drying.
  2. Use water for places you see as dry since drying can make it permanent and so water it with a brush or whatever you like till the completion of the idol.
Eco Friendly Ganesha Idol Step 3

Step 3:

The next thing on the list which is the next step is the bending of the legs as shown in the illustration given above. Press on the top and curve the clay on the bottom making it into the shape of a leg.
Eco Friendly Ganesha Idol Step 4

Step 4:

Since the base of the pedestal has been fixed to the stomach with toothpicks, now we need to make the hands for Lord Ganesha.
  1. Twist the hands as shown here with the same width all over the hand and a bit pointed to the end.
  2. Now affix the head to the body with a toothpick and leave the hands to dry before fixing it on the body.
Eco Friendly Ganesha Idol Step 5

Step 5:

Now fix the hands to the side of the body with small toothpicks into two pieces and flatten the end part of the left side of the hand facing towards you and a small ball to keep on the right facing upwards.
Eco Friendly Ganesha Idol Step 6

Step 6:

Now fix the ears and trunk as shown in the figure.
  1. Roll the trunk as shown in the illustration and twist it towards the end
  2. Affix the ears to the side of the head with toothpicks.
  3. Gently press the ears and flatten them as shown above.
  4. Make eyes, tusk and 3 tiers of head crown.
Eco Friendly Ganesha Idol Step 7

Step 7:

You are almost done. The only thing which is left is the acrylic paints to be used of your choice, the image used above is just for illustration purposes and you can obviously use a different variant of colors for the lord. Just make sure that you need to leave the idol to dry for at least a day or two and then apply paint on it or it may not get the actual colors needed.
Eco Friendly Ganesha

What other ways can we use to make DIY eco-friendly Lord Ganesha?

Let's all create the most different and unique eco friendly Ganesha at home, this Ganesh Chaturthi. With this in mind, you may continue to try to make the celebration more environmentally friendly, from paper to tree leaves and fruits. There are some suggestions for eco-friendly biodegradable ganesh idols. Here are also tips on how to do visarjan for eco-friendly Ganesha if you too have one at home.

Peeple leaves Ganpati:

If you are considering to make eco-friendly Ganesha idol at home and you are not so good in crafting. It is okay! This peepal leaves Ganapati idol is the simplest and most eco-friendly idol as peepal leaves are considered sacred in hindu religion. The materials needed are:
  1. Peepal leave
  2. Glue
You just have to assemble different shaped leaves as broad base leave, slightly long leaves, and leaves with long tip and glue them together.

Paper Mache:

Paper Mache is also a simple yet eco- friendly method to make your beloved God idol. For making paper mache dough all you need is:
  1. A cup of damp paper pulp
  2. flour, glue
  3. salt or vinegar as a preservative
  4. vegetable or mineral oil to make the dough smooth and less sticky
  5. Stones
With this dough make ganapati idol and embellish the idol with stones and tilak etc.

Turmeric Idol:

As turmeric signifies purity and fertility. Idol making with the turmeric is going to be graceful for the auspicious occasion. For this you just need:
  1. Turmeric powder
  2. plain flour
  3. water or milk
  4. Marbles and mirror
Knit the dough and make ganapati. Decorate ganesha with marbles or mirrors. To make your statue stick to the base use toothpicks.

Rice flour Ganpati:

Rice flour ganapati is also a very eye-catching and unique idea to make at home. For rice flour Ganapati the material you need is:
  1. Rice flour
  2. Wate
  3. Toothpick
  4. Decoration as per your preference.
As rice flour is a little tricky to make stiff with each other. Remember to use a toothpick at each step. This also needs to be noted that rice flour idols are best for one or two days only. Do not last long with one idol, change it from time to time.

Tree Ganesha idol

Tree Ganesha that is made out of mud, is one of the most easiest that you can make at home as well as grow a plant from it after its visarjan. Tree Ganesha idol can be made with the following materials:
  1. Mud
  2. Water
  3. Seeds
  4. Pot
These idols contain a seed that germinates into a plant and are made of red soil, fertilizers, and natural colors. This can also be called plantable ganesha idol. The idol can therefore be placed in a pot and watered daily rather than being submerged.

Simple Visarjan Procedure

You can submerge the handcrafted idol in water when the Ganapati celebration comes to an end. You must do the visarjan at your house in a bucket at your balcony if you decide to build an eco-friendly Ganpati idol for Ganesh Chaturthi. Take the idol to your balcony after Uttarpuja, which is held right just before immersion of the idol.
Visarjan steps are:

  1. Fill a big bucket with water.
  2. Put the idol slowly into the bucket.
The idol will dissolve with time, and the water may be used to irrigate plants because it contains only natural components.

If you want to make a Ganesha plant, you may put the idol in a pot filled with potting soil and give it frequent sprinkles of water until the mud is properly blended. These eco-friendly Ganpati idols honoring every facet of Mother Nature may be submerged at home because they are highly portable and lightweight. Simply said, you can immerse the figurine in a tub of water.

Benefits of eco friendly ganesha:

  • Ensures Human Health
    Water resources and the environment as well as human health are not harmed by the lovely idols that are devoid of chemicals, dyes, or tints. These Ganesha statues are also very biodegradable, so even if animals or plants drink the same water, there won't be any food poisoning.
  • keeps the soil's quality alive
    Organic colors that don't damage the environment or affect the soil's quality are used in every eco-friendly Ganesha. Glitter and toxic materials are not used in the making of these idols. Because it does not alter the fertility of the soil, you may submerge the murti in a tub of water using the same water for your organic farm.
  • Pollution is reduced.
    In addition to honoring our beloved Ganpati, this day provides a wonderful chance to lessen many forms of pollution. When submerged in lakes or other water bodies, these eco-friendly idols quickly break down and blend in with the water, without damaging it. The murtis don't really disrupt the natural species in the water. This helps to maintain the water's purity by directly preventing the accumulation of harmful products in water bodies.
Conclusion
While it is a beautiful time to celebrate, one problematic part of the celebration cannot be neglected - the much-loved idol that pollutes our surroundings. When morality, virtue, success, and morality are celebrated, Mother Earth frequently suffers irreparable harm as a result. The majority of Lord Ganesha statues sold in stores are often constructed of plaster of Paris or another non-biodegradable material.
As responsible citizens, we can make a difference for our environment. The toxins and hazardous colors used to make plaster of Paris make it non-biodegradable. Together, we should all do our part to protect and preserve the environment by choosing eco-friendly Ganesh murti. The traditional clay used to create eco-friendly Ganapati idols is completely biodegradable and has the ability to dissolve into water when immersed. For the Ganesh festival, you may also embellish the pandals and mandir with eco-friendly home décor items like fresh flowers, leaves, and diyas. You can also buy eco-friendly ganesh idols online from eCraftIndia as per your taste.