Check out the makhar trends for Ganpati

Check out the makhar trends for Ganpati

This Ganpati, there's a host of new designs and colours for makhar. We take you on a tour of the ones we liked
The countdown for Ganpati has almost come to an end, and everyone's busy preparing for the festival. When bringing home Lord Ganesha, lots of things need to be done, and one of them is selecting a makhar.It comes across to most families as the most interesting activity as a part of the pre-Ganpati preparations. Family members sit together and decide the place at which the sthapana of the Lord will be done. Then they discuss the colour, size, shape and design ideas for the makhar.
Here's a little help for you to choose from a variety of makhars in the market. Temple Makhars: The usual temple-type makhars are the hot favourites. Even though these have been used extensively and explored in all formats, these makhars are chosen by most Maharshtrians. The traditional idea is that the lord sits in a temple, which is why most devotees prefer having a temple-shaped makhar at their place. Rituraj Khona, a salesman from a stationary shop selling makhars in Sanpada said, "The size of this makhar depends on the idol, which ranges from one-five feet for a home-based Ganpati. Made with thermocol and supported by hardboard, these temples are decorated with various colours, especially pink, blue, orange and accessioned with gold and silver shimmer." The prices for the temple-shaped makhar start from Rs200 and go up to Rs2,500. Ganpati Singhasan: This is another makhar style that's quite famous, but it is used by a limited number of people. This year, there have been several innovations to the singhasan-style makhar, with designs that are similar to singhasans of some well-known places and people. "You can choose from a number of singhasans, like the Balasaheb Thackeray's singhasan, Lalbaugcha Raja singhasan, Indra Singhasan, etc.," informed Pankaj Thakur, a makhar-seller from Nerul."People love to buy the single piece singhasan-type makhars. They are more solidly built than the designer ones. They have broader bottoms and hence hold the idol better than the other fancy makhars." This year, there have been some new designs such as a bed of hibiscus or a seat made out of hibiscus flowers and leaves. They look extremely beautiful — with the flowers and leaves cut with sharp borders that surround the idol space. "The range for this starts from Rs325 and the biggest one costs Rs1,500. However since this one doesn't have a solid geometric shape, the biggest makhar is only upto 3 feet in height," mentioned a shopkeeper at Krishna Book Centre in Kharghar. There are some more makhars at this store where the main seat has been adorned with two white swans on both sides. Both these makhars look very delicately-worked and elegant, and something new that you can find this year's makhar market. Jhoola-type makhar: It is another fancy makhar that has hit the markets this Ganpati festival. "The swing looks beautiful and similar to the one on which Lord Krishna is seated. The price of the makhar is Rs3,200 and it is in great demand. We have sold all pieces, except one. Lots of people have enquired about it," said Jeevanbhai, from Student's Book Store in Vashi."However some of the most authentic makhars are found in APMC market in Vashi and the Janta Market in Nerul, where you can avail the best quality, design and prices of makhar at these places. We always buy it from APMC market and they come out to be very good since they have a lot of variety there," said Pritam Bhumralkar, a resident of Vashi.