An artist from Mumbai has created a Ganesh idol in the ‘Ardhanari’ form – half male, half female – to highlight the need for harmony between the two genders amid rising crimes against women.

Rintu Rathod has sculpted an idol of the elephant-headed deity from chocolate, something she specialises in.

Rathod said she used 20 kg of dark chocolate and 10 kg of white chocolate to create the 25-inch-tall idol in the ‘Ardhanari’ form, installed at her Santacruz home.

“This form of Ganapati is particularly significant in Hinduism. It emphasises the idea that male and female principles are essential and complementary to each other, promoting harmony and balance in the universe,” she said.

An ‘Ardhanari’ idol of a 12-armed Ganesha is installed in an 800-year-old temple in Goregaon in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, said Rathod.

The need for balance and harmony between male and female genders has become more pressing in the wake of the growing crimes against women, particularly the recent one involving a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, she said.

“This form depicts a balance between both genders. If the balance is skewed as it happened in Kolkata, women have to take Maa Kali’s form to ensure their own safety,” said Rathod.

The unique eco-friendly idol will be immersed in milk on Anant Chaturdashi (September 17), which marks the end of the 10-day Ganesh festival.

The chocolate-laced milk will be distributed to underprivileged children, she added.

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