Now Reading: Berhampur artist crafts Durga idol from spices
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Berhampur artist crafts Durga idol from spices
The Story in Brief
Dillip Kumar Moharana (23), an employee of a private firm in Berhampur, has crafted a two-inch Durga idol entirely from spices. The miniature idol, made without soil or plastic, was displayed at a pandal in Ankushapur on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, Dussehra. Moharana used turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaf and mace, with Goddess Durga, the lion and Mahisasura carved from finger turmeric pieces.
Moharana took around four days to complete the idol, which weighs about 50 grams. He said he wanted to spread a message to celebrate an eco-friendly Dussehra in 2026. He has previously made miniature sculptures including a Ganjam map showing major Shakti shrines and a replica of the Ram temple at Ayodhya.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Times of India reports the Berhampur spice idol as a human-interest story about one artist's eco-friendly initiative, focusing on the novelty of the materials and the artist's previous works. The Better India article, by contrast, covers the broader effort by Kolkata's Kumartuli artisans to replace thermocol and synthetic materials with traditional clay, straw and shola, highlighting the environmental impact of idol immersion in the Hooghly. Times of India gives no data on immersion pollution, while The Better India cites the 5,200 idols immersed in 2025. The two outlets do not overlap on any event, they cover different stories. The balanced reading is that both report individual efforts toward eco-friendly Durga Puja, at very different scales.
Koushik Ghosh of Joy Durga Bhandar in north Kolkata is working toward idols decorated with natural clay, shola and natural colours.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report), thebetterindia.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
