Early on Friday morning in Puducherry, while a few people were carrying idols of Ganesha to their homes, others thronged the temples clad in traditional attire to offer prayers on the occasion of Vinayaka Chaturthi.
The shortage of clay or increase in prices did not stop anyone from buying the Ganesha idols.
This year, most of them turned to eco-friendly clay idols for worship.
Devotees greeted one another and thronged temples. There was a long queue at the famous Manakula Vinayagar temple in the city.
They shared sweets with their relatives and neighbours spreading joy. Pandals were erected on every street corner to place the idol for worship.
Manakula Vinayagar temple executive officer Venkatesan said that nearly 25,000 devotees visited the temple on Friday.
They had organised special devotional concert and distributed ladoos among the devotees. “Special puja was held early on Friday morning on the occasion of the festival,” he said.
Although the festival was celebrated with joy and fervour, artisans and farmers suffered due to drought.
“We did not make enough idols this year because of shortage of clay. But, we were able to sell all the idols we had made,” said Murugan, an artisan from Manaveli in Puducherry.