Mangalore: Mangalore citizens prepared themselves to celebrate the joint festival of Gowri-Ganesha (Aug 31-Sept.1), with artists like Thokkottu Baalakrishna of Baalu Arts giving final colour touches to his idols, and other such artists in Car street and Vithoba Temple road also are busy completoing their idols in great style and appeal with several postures of the Elephant faced Lord in heaven.
The idols are made of clay and artists get down to work in utter cleanliness and and total surrender as devotees. Very few think of profits. The district administration has advised against mixing poisonous chemicals and colours to the images being made according to certain buyers’ requirements. Ravi Bhandary of Car street and Prabhakar Rao of Mannagudda are regular idol makers. People create small mantaps (seats) covered by auspicious canes, flowers and leaves, with earthen lamps around and a host of dishes to please the Goddess Gowri and her Son Ganesha, like Modak and Kheer.People go round homes looking at these idols after poojas.