Palvancha Ganesh Idols Adorned With Rs 2.9 Crore in Currency Notes
Two Ganesh idols in Telangana's Palvancha were decorated with currency notes worth a combined Rs 2.9 crore, drawing large crowds during Ganesh Chaturthi.
Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in Palvancha, an industrial town in Telangana, became a major draw this year after two Lord Ganesha idols were decorated with Indian currency notes carrying a combined face value of Rs 2.9 crore.
One of the displays was put together by members of the Kapu community, whose idol was adorned with notes worth Rs 1.4 crore. At another location in the town, the organisation Team Ekadanta decorated its idol with currency notes valued at Rs 1.5 crore.
The decorations used Rs 10, Rs 20, Rs 100, Rs 200 and Rs 500 denominations. One of the idols featured a garland and crown fashioned entirely from currency notes, while the pandal surroundings were also decked with the notes.
Organisers said the displays were arranged with contributions from local traders, and bankers supplied fresh currency notes for the elaborate arrangements at the pandal housing a "Gajapathi" idol. The installations drew large numbers of devotees, turning the cash decorations into a prominent attraction of the festival.
Such displays are not new to Palvancha. In 2024, the Kapu Sangham Ganesh Utsav Committee at the Ambedkar Centre decorated a Ganesh idol and its stage with new currency notes worth Rs 1.1 crore, using Rs 500, Rs 200 and Rs 100 denominations arranged into floral designs, along with a large currency garland on the idol. The stage of the festival organised under Kapu Sangham was separately decorated with Rs 1.5 crore in currency. A year earlier, in 2023, notes worth Rs 1 crore were used to decorate one of the Ganpati pandals in the town.