A Hyderabad man’s devotion to Lord Ganesha has seen him collect 19,022 idols, 20,426 photographs, 1,098 posters, 200 key-chains and 201 audio and video cassettes. And he is not done yet. A resident of West Marredpally in Secunderabad, Pabsetti Shekhar said he first bought a Ganesh idol as a child in July 1973 during a family visit to Saibaba temple in Shiridi.

"My collection is from India, USA, Japan, China, Afghanistan, Singapore and other countries. My collection includes 32 forms of Ganesh statues from Bala Ganapati to Sankatahara Ganapati and also Shub Drishti Ganesh, the 33rd form of Ganesh," news agency ANI quoted Shekhar as saying.

“I have sketched various forms of Ganesha in modern art and also made out of M-Seal, POP, Ceramic Powder, glass painting, thread and other things," he said.

According to Siasat.com, the material used to make the idols include gold, silver, bronze, brass, aluminum, precious stones, terracotta, crystal, glass, bi-metal, beetle nut, Ivory, coral, granite, soapstone, marble, black stone, tiger stone, sandstone, plaster of Paris etc.

“This stunning collection did not happen overnight; I started this Ganesh idol collection in my childhood when I was just twelve years old. What began on that day with one idol has now reached 19,022 and is going strong year by year,” the website quoted the 59-year-old professional banker as saying.

Shekhar’s impressive collection also include a five-trunked brass Ganesha statue, weighing five kg, which he got made in Bastar, Chhattisgarh, by a sculpture under his supervision. “We might have heard about five-faced (Pancha Mukha) Ganesha but a five-trunked Ganesha is not heard of. Taking a cue from an old book I read, I made this idol happen,” Shekar said.

The man has already made it to Guinness World Record, the LIMCA Book of Indian Records, Unique World Records, Everest World Records and Assist World Records. "I was also awarded the best collection award in Temple of Fine Arts, Malaysia had performed Vishwa Vinayaka Ganesh festival during 2003 in Hyderabad. I organised an exhibition at Juluri Veereshalingam Hall, Secunderabad the rent generated from the stall has been donated to the orphans," Pabsetti told ANI.

He has also been writing a book 'Vishwa Vinayaka' on Ganesh Temples in India and abroad for a while now. “This book will be published for charity. I have a plan of Constructing Punch Mukha Ganesh Temple at Hyderabad to help needy people and to solve various problems of the people," he said.