VIJAYAWADA: Every Ganesh Chavithi, Vijayawada’s markets turn into a small economy of mud, paint and craftsmanship, but the clay at the heart of it often travels farther than idols themselves.
Venkata Sandhya, an idol-maker in Vijayawada, said she sources her clay from Velagaleru, a village on the city’s outskirts that has supplied artisans for years. “This is the matti I’ve used, it’s what I trust and like,” she said. Sivakumari, another artisan, brings hers from Kotturu, Tadepalli, near Ampapuram.
Artisans say local clay tends to be coarser, does not take a smooth finish and becomes harder to manage once idols grow taller and more ornate — the kind of figures that dominate pandal displays.
Raghavaiah, who has sculpted Ganesh idols for more than two decades, sources his clay from near the Polavaram canal, a supply he trusts for its reliability and ease of use. His idols keep to simpler, traditional forms rather than heavy detailing. “This matti has never failed me, I don’t need anything more than that,” he said.
Increasingly, however, the bigger, more elaborate idols in demand today are made from clay that has travelled far beyond Andhra. Several artisans and sellers in the city said they bring in Ganga clay from Kolkata, fine river silt drawn from the Hooghly, the same material used for Durga Puja idols in Bengal for centuries.
Its appeal lies in its texture; unlike coarser local clay, Ganga silt is fine enough to hold intricate detailing, giving idols a sharper finish and sturdier structure even at larger sizes. Some artisans also use “Bombay clay,” valued for resisting cracks as idols dry and cure in Andhra’s humid pre-immersion weeks.
The price difference is significant, but customers are willing to pay. Muralikrishna, a stall owner, said idols made from local sand and clay are cheaper, yet buyers avoiding Plaster of Paris idols prefer the costlier Ganga clay for its finish. “Even at a higher price, people prefer Ganga clay because of its texture and finish,” he said.
Even so, the trade is not wholly dependent on imported material. A large share of smaller, everyday idols sold at neighbourhood stalls are still made entirely from local village matti, dug by artisans who neither need nor seek clay from elsewhere.