Ganesha Chaturthi celebrates the birth of Lord Ganesha.

With Ganesh Chaturthi just days away, preparations to celebrate the Hindu festival are in full swing. Sculptors are putting their best foot forward to make eco-friendly Ganesha idols using bio-degradable and water-soluble products.

In Karnataka's Mangaluru, Nithin Vaja has made Lord Ganesha idols using paper pulp and seeds that can later grow into plants. He also avoided using any toxic materials and paints.

Filled with seeds from vegetable, fruits and trees, the idols, unlike the traditional ones, can be easily dissolved in water.

"It is made by crushing old newspapers and books into pulp which is used in making it. We have not used toxic paints or any other toxic materials. This idol has vegetable seeds and fruit seeds and it will grow into a plant after it dissolves in water," said Mr Vaja.

"We have made 30-40 Ganesha idols this year. The demand is not so high in Mangaluru this year but we expect it to increase in the coming years," he said.

Apart from eco-friendly Lord Ganesha idols, paper pencils and paper pens have been made that have seeds inside them.

Ganesha Chaturthi celebrates the birth of Lord Ganesha. People install clay idol of Ganesha at their homes and in pandals. Ganesh Chaturthi, which will be celebrated in most parts of India on September 2, is a 10-day festival. The Ganpati idols will be immersed in a water body on September 12.