From Balasore train crash to G20 -- varied themes at Odisha's Ganesh Chaturthi pandals

Bhubaneswar: From the triple train tragedy in Balasore to India's G20 presidency, in Odisha, Lord Ganesh adorns pandals that depict the incidents which have left a mark over the last one year.

People of the state have been celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi amid a festive fervour, with rains failing to dampen the spirits.

In Bhubaneswar, the Saheed Nagar puja pandal depicted India's G20 presidency. An eco-friendly idol of Lord Ganesh was installed at the pandal.

The Station Bazar pandal was a big draw among the people of the city for the idol that was made using 3 lakh seeds of eight different varieties.

In Badagada, a 55-foot-tall idol with its feet made of 10 kg silver drew a large number of people. This puja has been organised by the Bright Star Youth Association.

The train crash in Balasore was the theme for two pandals -- at Talcher in Angul district and Gadhakana in Bhubaneswar.

At the Talcher pandal, the organisers have built replicas of the crashed coaches, the rescue operations that followed and the media coverage of the incident along with photos of PM Narendra Modi and CM Naveen Patnaik.

"The train tragedy shocked the entire world. The pandal is kind of a prayer to god so that such an accident does not happen again," said Karunakar Bai, a member of the puja committee.

Thousands of people from various parts of the state and neighbouring Andhra Pradesh have started thronging Panchama, a sleepy village about 20 km away from Berhampur in Ganjam district, to witness the rituals at the ancient Ganesh temple.

A large police contingent, led by senior officers, has been deployed to manage the crowd, officials said.

"No untoward incident has so far been reported," said Saravana Vivek M, the SP of Berhampur.