Khargonkar says: "My family has been making Ganesh murtis for the last 175 years for most of the royal families of Indore, mainly the Holkar kings.

The unique feature of the murtis we make is that they are made from pure mitti (earth) and solely by hand. I am the fifth generation of this family participating in this craft. We do this to continue our tradition and not for any monetary benefits.

"We are all professionals working in different fields but we take time out just out of bhakti for Lord Ganesha three months prior to Ganesh festival. We have a Ganpati temple in Junindore Shani Gali, Indore, which is pretty old too. The murtis we make are eco-friendly -- the clay dissolves in water completely at visarjan.

"In earlier times, on Ganesh Chaturthi, the whole Holkar clan would come with pomp and show, with a palki (palanquin), elephants, horses to take Ganeshji. Now only the palki comes but with the same flair, playing there traditional songs on their trumpets."

To see how the Khargonkar clan create their special mud Ganpatis for royalty check their online photo album: Nitesh Khargonkar's Ganpati photos

More features on Ganesh Puja: Ganeshotsav home

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