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 Ganesh
Chathurthi or Vinayaka Chathurthi is here again. It is customary, in many
households, to buy new Vinayaka idols every year for Vinayaka Chathurthi. Pooja
is offered to the Vinayaka idol made of clay and later this Vinayaka is lowered
into the wells; today, however, may be because most wells in the city are dry or
may be because in most dwellings there is no well as such, the custom of buying
clay Vinayaka has changed. In the present day people buy Vinayakas of different
colours, hues, shades, made of different materials!!
To cater to this need and with
a view to make different types of Vinayaka available in one place, "Poompuhar"
in Anna salai has organised the "Ganesh Dharshan" exhibition from Aug.
28 to Sept. 9. Visitors are amazed at the variety of Vinayakas (Pillayars)
on display; visitors go round the hall, with open mouths and eyes almost popping
out of their sockets!
 Vinayakas
have been specially brought from Kolkata, Mumbai and Pondy, sandalwood Vinayakas
from Tirupathi and Karnataka, paper mache Vinayakas from Kosapettai in Tamilnadu.....Ganapathis
from the land famous for quality brass items, Kumbakkonam.... Poompuhar is
splendid.
There is a wide price range to
choose from - Rs 18 to Rs 1,59,000. Vinayakas in various sizes, colours and
Vinayakas made of different materials, they are all there in Poompuhar.
Vinayakas in different poses, Vinayakas doing different tasks - Vinayaka on the
cell phone, Vinayaka on the traditional phone, Vinayaka reading a book, Vinayaka
writing a book, Vinayaka doing the 'Kalinga Nardhanam', Vinayaka playing the
nadaswaram (Thillana Mohanambal style), crawling (baby) Vinayaka, Vinayaka on
the Thavil, Vinayaka playing the flute.
 A
number of women folk showered lavish praise on the idol of Vinayaka worshipping
the Siva Lingam, a la Parvati Devi. Says Ms. Meena Ganeshan, amid peels of
laughter, " Looking at Vinayaka in Red, Black, Green, White, Sandal and so
many more colours, one is tempted to compose a song and sing."
The new arrival this year is
the majestic Vinayaka in the form of a traditional lamp, got from Nachiar Koil.
This is priced at Rs 62,500. Vinayaka making the music gesture is very
artistically sculptured in all the eight faces of the lamp. It is believed that
if one has dharshan of 108 Vinayakas on Vinayaka Chathurthi day one will be
blessed many times over.
City folks are really blessed,
in that, even before Vinayaka Chathurthi, they can have dharshan of not 108
Vinayakas but 1008 Vinayakas, thanks to Poompuhar.
Nalini Sampathkumar
Tr.Ellar
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