Khordha, Sept 14: An unusual Ganesh Puja creation in Odisha is highlighting how art and environmental awareness can go hand in hand. Renowned miniature artist L Eshwar Rao has built a nine-inch Ganesh pandal entirely from discarded materials, adding an eco-friendly dimension to his annual festive artwork.

Rao, who lives in Gopinathpur in the Hat Bazaar area of Jatni in Khordha district, is known for creating intricate miniature artworks for special occasions. Continuing his tradition of making a new creation for Ganesh Puja every year, he decided to experiment with materials that would otherwise have been thrown away.

For this year's project, Rao used waste paper, cardboard, thread and other discarded items to construct the tiny pandal. Despite its miniature size, the structure took him seven days of painstaking work to complete.

Inside the nine-inch pandal, Rao has placed a two-inch Lord Ganesh idol carved from stone, adding a distinctive focal point to the tiny installation.

Speaking about the idea behind the creation, Rao said he wanted to try something different this year while drawing attention to the importance of environmentally responsible celebrations. He explained that transforming waste materials into the pandal was both a creative challenge and an effort to promote the reuse of discarded items.