Cuttack: Two Ganesh Puja pandals in Cuttack have taken visitors on a miniature tour of the city’s cultural identity, from the bustling lanes of Bali Yatra to its iconic heritage landmarks, while also making a pitch for national recognition of the historic fair.Arjun Tibrewal, a resident of Kesharpur, has created a Ganesh Puja pandal entirely around the theme of Bali Yatra. Miniature replicas of shops, marketplaces, amusement rides and popular food stalls, including dahibara and thunka puri, have been recreated to give visitors a glimpse of the annual fair.What makes the pandal particularly distinctive is that its miniature elements have been made using scrap materials, including cardboard, old newspapers, discarded plastic bottles and wood dust.“I wanted to use Ganesh Puja as a platform to showcase the rich tradition of Bali Yatra and draw attention to the demand for national recognition of the historic festival,” said Tibrewal. The pandal also carries a message seeking national recognition for Bali Yatra, which draws lakhs of visitors to Cuttack every year and is closely linked to Odisha’s maritime history and trading traditions.It took Tibrewal, a local businessman, nearly two months to create the miniature elements. The pandal also highlights Boita Bandana, the traditional ritual observed ahead of Bali Yatra. Tibrewal has used the display to draw attention to the eco-friendly practices associated with the tradition. “These days, people use paper and plastic boats for Boita Bandana, but traditionally, people used banana bark or stems for the ritual, which was not polluting,” he said.The Bali Yatra-themed pandal is not the only one using Ganesh Puja to showcase Cuttack’s identity. Triranga Club at Khan Nagar has created a miniature version of the city, featuring models of some of its best-known landmarks.The pandal has replicas of the Orissa high court, Cuttack railway station, Dhabaleswar temple, Netaji bus terminal and the Maritime Museum, bringing several of the city’s iconic landmarks together under one roof.“Our idea was to showcase Cuttack’s heritage through the Ganesh Puja pandal and help people, particularly children and younger visitors, connect with the city’s history,” said a member of a local club. The organisers said the pandal was designed not merely as a festive attraction but also as a visual representation of Cuttack’s history, culture and evolving identity. “Cuttack has a rich heritage and there are many landmarks that define the city. We wanted people visiting the pandal to experience all of this in one place,” the club member said.
