Archive · 14 Sep 2026
Pune Eatery Unveils 13-Foot Ganpati Made From Pani Puri Shells
A Pune restaurant made a very unusual Ganpati idol.
It used 21,000 pani puri shells to build the idol.
The idol is 13 feet tall and 10 feet wide.
It stands outside the restaurant on Fergusson Road.
Workers prepared it over two months.
Artist Prashant Salunkhe created the idol.
Bamboo and paper were used for its framework.
The makers also reused flour left over from making the shells.
The idol will stay on display until Anant Chaturdashi.
A 13-foot-tall, 10-foot-wide Ganpati idol was made using 21,000 pani puri shells.
The idol is installed outside Ganesh Bhel’s outlet on Namdar Gokhale Path, popularly known as Fergusson Road.
Preparations began two months ago, with artist Prashant Salunkhe executing the design.
Its bamboo-and-paper framework uses natural, eco-friendly materials, while leftover flour was reused.
The idol will remain on display through Anant Chaturdashi during Ganeshotsav.
- Who
- Ganesh Bhel, its directors and artist Prashant Salunkhe created the idol.
- What
- A 13-foot Ganpati idol was crafted from 21,000 pani puri shells.
- When
- It was unveiled during Ganeshotsav and will remain displayed until Anant Chaturdashi.
- Where
- Outside Ganesh Bhel’s outlet on Namdar Gokhale Path, popularly called Fergusson Road, in Pune.
- Why
- The initiative combines creative celebration with recycling and a message of environmental conservation.
- Idol height
- 13 feet
- Idol width
- 10 feet
- Materials
- 21,000 pani puri shells, bamboo and paper
- Preparation period
- Two months
- Creator
- Artist Prashant Salunkhe
- Display period
- Until Anant Chaturdashi
- Festival
- Ganeshotsav