Long before machines, digital technology, and modern engineering transformed the way structures were built, ancient India had already produced architectural feats that continue to intrigue the modern world. It is this idea of forgotten ingenuity that the Shri Sarvajanik Bal Ganesh Utsav Mandal in Bhende Layout is bringing to its 38th Ganeshotsav this year, with a pandal themed around ancient science and technology. Organised under the Shri Siddhivinayak Trust’s Shri Sarvajanik Bal Ganesh Utsav Mandal, the installation is based on the idea of ‘Vidnyan, Dharma, Atmashuddhi’ through a setting filled with elaborate structures, handmade elements, and moving mechanisms.

 

The concept was suggested by Ishwar Dhengle, President of the Trust, who said the intention was to look back at a time when modern technology was absent, yet India was capable of creating grand structures and demonstrating remarkable scientific understanding. Prashant Darekar, a mandal member, said, “Artists from Kolkata have been working on the pandal for over six months, and have created several of its elements by hand, including intricate iron carvings that will be seen on the walls.

 

Aside from this, pillars, moving parts, and other mechanical components will be seen as parts of the installation. We wanted the pandal to be something that people observed in motion rather than simply walking through it. So, instead of placing ancient science behind glass or in a textbook, we built a physical world around it to make sure that people coud actually see all the details, as a sort of reminder that innovation did not begin with the machines of the modern age, and our ancestors posessed immense wisdom and scientific temper. It was befitting, as Lord Ganesha is the God of Wisdom.”