Idol Worship!

Mold of Idol of Lord Ganesh

There is one area in Ahmedabad which comes into limelight only during some religious festivals. It is the slum area of Gulbai Tekra which is known for selling idols of deities.


It exists since 17th century and comprises of 1300 huts and 90% population are idol makers. It's just like any another slum, densely populated, narrow lanes, unhygienic living and working conditions. But, slum dwellers here, become very important when they start selling idols of Gods and Goddesses. Though they are economically backward and their earnings are seasonal, they have not left their craft. They are skilled and give marvelous finish.

Working for such long periods in dirty living conditions is tough and they don’t even have adequate storage space. The poor workers for want of proper storage space have to keep the moulds out in the open during the year, often damaging them. They then have to make new moulds, wasting time and money.


Most of idols are made of Plaster of Paris (PoP) as buyers prefer them in comparison to clay. The reason is huge difference in price. A one-foot clay idol costs anything between Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,000, while the PoP idols of the same size will cost around Rs 300 only. The price depends upon the size of the idols and can cost up to Rs.12,000 for the bigger ones.

Gulbai Tekra is not only famous for its finely carved statues of the Hindu god, but attracts customers from states like Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh as well. Hundreds of trucks carrying mould from here are dispatched to other states every year.

This year Ganesh Chaturthi fall on 1st September. But, while crossing Gulbai Tekra, you can see that work on making idols of Lord Ganesh has already started.