Ganpati is always an exciting time, but this year I have been looking forward to it twice as much. Mostly because our last year’s Ganpati decoration post has been so well received. It is one of the most read posts of all time on this blog and it’s video on YouTube has over 1 lakh views! Last year our theme was light and white with lace and candles. This one is just the opposite. This is a red and green ganpati decoration with sarees and bangles.

We stuck to the 3 things that were important to us while planning last year. The decoration had to be:

1. Inexpensive – since it’s only temporary
2. Easy to do – since I am an interior designer, not an artist.
3. Gorgeous – well, I AM an interior designer! 🙂

So let’s jump right into it!

DIY Ganpati Decoration With Sarees And Bangles:

Preparation done beforehand:

The only things we bought this year were the bangles and golden kaliras. The rest is from our homes. So the first step was to search our homes for green and red sarees.

The red we decided instantly. The green we narrowed down to these 2. The one on the left has an unusual pattern. The one on the right is more traditional with a lot of gold and a pattern that is not too prominent. Unusual won hands down. I liked the bigger pattern which would show better from afar.

Then we bought loads of red and green bangles and kaliras. 

We joined alternate red and green bangles to each other with cello-tape to make strings of bangles which we would hang.

We made these in strings of 3, 5 and 7.

At the ends of these strings we hung kaliras. Kaliras are these pretty golden danglers. They are given to a Punjabi bride by her family and friends as a symbol of their good wishes and blessings for her. So not only are they really pretty, but they’re also considered auspicious.

We soon had loads of these strings ready to be used.

Decorating the evening before:

We gathered all the things we had selected and our beautiful danglers and got to work.

Setting the stage:

The stage is the same as the one last year. It’s a large window with a broad, high cill which makes a perfect stage for our Ganesha. The blinds were drawn and we got to work.

We folded the green saree in half and draped it from end to end on the blinds with safety pins.

Light streamed in through the gap in between, but we didn’t think too much of it. The red saree would come in the centre as the backdrop to our Ganesh idol. We placed the pretty pallu in the front and again used safety pins to pin it on to the blinds. But this time instead of draping it stretched out, we made small pleats to get a nice fall.

The light was still streaming in through the gap though… something had to be done.

We folded a strip of newspaper…

and pinned it down the centre of the blinds, behind the sarees, covering the gap. Now this is better…

Then we started hanging our danglers from top with cello tape. The strings of 3 came in the centre, then the strings of 5, and lastly the strings of 7 towards the outer ends of the stage.

For the ‘floor’ we used a red fabric we had from a previous function.

Some string lights draped between the danglers gave our stage a starry sky.

The finishing touches:

This is a red and green ganpati decoration with sarees and bangles. Let’s focus on the green since it’s my favourite part. We added LOTS of real greens on both sides of the stage.

And wove more fairy lights through them.

Add a big, brass lamp and the pooja thali… and our stage is set to welcome Him.

From top to bottom…

Whichever way you look at it…

I think we are ready to greet Him.

Ganpati Bappa Morya!

The stage truly came to life only when He came.

The soft glow of the lights brought the colours of the idol to life.

Our golden danglers formed a luminous halo around Him.

And the ambience was divine.

This Ganpati decoration with sarees and bangles was great fun to do especially because it’s really easy. Here’s a little video of the process.

In case you are wondering where to get an eco-friendly Ganesh idol, we have all the details here.

You can see our previous decoration with glasses and candles here.

Thanks again Kumars, for allowing me to be a part of your celebrations. Can’t wait for the next one already…

“Pudhchya varshi laukar ya!”