All You Need To Know About Plaster Of Paris (PoP) Idols

I am sure you won’t buy Plaster of Paris (PoP) idols for Ganesha Festival or Durga Pooja after reading this.

POP and Shadu Clay have been the predominant materials used to make the idols. Although clay has been used since ages, POP has gained more popularity in very lesser time. Every year, thousands of POP idols find their way to market and get sold out.

But what makes POP so popular? POP idols are so popular because, people love them and artists love to make them. But do you know why? No? Well, that’s what I have covered in this post.

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What is Plaster of Paris (PoP)?

Plaster of Paris (PoP) is a white powder which sets into a hard mass after wetting with water. It is made up of Calcium Sulphate with half a molecule of water per molecule of the salt (hemi-hydrate).

What is the Chemical Formula of Plaster of Paris (PoP)?

Chemical formula of Plaster of Paris is CaSO₄. 1/2 H₂O

What is the Chemical / Scientific Name of Plaster of Paris (PoP)?

Chemical Name of Plaster of Paris is Calcium Sulphate Dihydrate

How Plaster of Paris (PoP) is Made?

Plaster of Paris (POP) is prepared by heating gypsum to a temperature of 373K.
At 373k temperature, gypsum loses three-fourths of its water of crystallisation and forms Plaster of Paris.

What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Plaster of Paris (PoP)?

Advantages of Plaster of Paris (PoP):

Light-weight
Durable
Easy to mould into any shape
Has low thermal conductivity
Good for fire resistance and heat insulation
It doesn’t shrink while setting. Therefore, it does not develop cracks on heating or setting.
Easy to mix up with water
Easy to spread and level
It has good adhesion on fibrous materials
Doesn’t react with paint and does not cause alkali attack
Provides a lot of shine and smoothness to the surface

Disadvantages of Plaster of Paris (PoP):

Not suitable for exterior finish as it is slightly soluble in water
Cost is higher than the cement or cement lime plaster.
Not suitable for moist situations
PoP idols are not eco friendly
Skilled labour is required for precise application of plaster of Paris, which results in higher labour cost

What are the various Applications / Uses of Plaster of Paris (POP)?

Architecture and Interior Decoration:
- Wall decoration and beautification
- False ceiling
Art:
- Making surface smooth before painting
- Building wall reliefs
- Making sculptures and Idols
Medicinal Purposes:
- Setting fractured bones in the right position to ensure correct healing while joining the broken bones
- Creating moulds and prototypes for various treatments
Other applications:
- Fireproofing products
- 3D printing

In this article, we are going to focus only on the Ganesha / Durga Idols made up of PoP

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Why do most artists prefer Plaster of Paris (PoP) over Shadu Clay?

1. Practical Difficulties:

Clay is too heavy to handle in big size idols. Moulds required to make them are too expensive. (If government provides subsidies or loans on moulds, it will be possible to make idols up to 2.5m from Shadu clay.)
On the other hand, PoP is lightweight and easier to mould in various shapes and bigger sizes.

2. Mass production:

Procedure of making a Shadu clay idol is very time consuming. Hence mass production becomes difficult. (An expert artist can make approx. 2-10 idols a day).
Mass production of the POP is easy. (An artist can make approx. 10-25 idols a day.)

3. Labour:

Skilled and well experienced artists are required for the making of Shadu clay idols.
Learning to make PoP idols is easier; whereas in clay, several months of training is required.
Finding such highly skilled artists is also difficult.

4. Space:

Shadu Clay idols require much more space than PoP ones. Why? Because firstly, they cannot be stacked, and secondly, they take much longer to dry.

5. Cost:

In PoP idols, Labour and material both are cheaper
Hence the overall production cost of the PoP idol is lesser than the Shadu clay idol

6. Profit:

PoP idols have more demand and get sold out quickly as compared to Shadu clay idols.
Profitability of the PoP idol is almost 4 times more than the Shadu clay idol.

Hmm… Now I understood why artists prefer PoP idols over Shadu clay. But what about the buyers? Most of the buyers also prefer PoP idols over clay. Do you know why?

Why do most of the buyers prefer PoP idols over Shadu clay?

Cost:

PoP idols are significantly cheaper than the Shadu clay idols

Look:

PoP idols look more attractive.
The finishing on PoP is superior than other eco-friendly idols.

Variety and Availability:

Local Shadu clay idols are available only in smaller sizes and limited designs.
PoP idols come in variety of sizes, designs and eye catchy colours

Handling and Transportation:

Shadu Clay idols are heavy and fragile. They are more prone to cracks and can break very easily. Hence most of the buyers fear they might get damaged in the transit.
On the other hand, PoP idols are light weight and strong. This makes them easy to handle and transport.

That’s great! PoP is a really good material. Isn’t it? Then why there is so much of fuss about using PoP idols? Why anyone would want to ban them? Well… POP is definitely a user friendly material. But it’s not at all good for the environment. Do you know why? No? Then keep reading.

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Are Plaster Of Paris (PoP) Ganesha Idols bad for the environment?

PoP idols are mostly immersed in common water sources like sea, rivers and lakes etc. What happens after that is really sad and disturbing.

1. It pollutes water:

During celebrations like Ganesha and Durga festival that involve idol-immersion, a large number of lakes find themselves choked with Plaster of Paris idols. PoP idols take time to get dissolved in the water. That’s why they can block the natural flow of water bodies, allowing stagnation.

PoP contains chemicals like magnesium, gypsum, phosphorus and sulphur. Post-immersion, the hardness, salinity, acidity and turbidity of the water gets increased and Oxygen levels plummet.

This leads to extreme amount of water pollution. Usage of plaster of Paris to make Ganesha & Durga idols have polluted water bodies over the years, and have left most of them in an unusable state.

PoP idol coated in several layers of chemical paints, takes over two years to dissolve in water, which adds to the water contamination.

2. It kills aquatic life:

Reduced oxygen level and harmful pollutants in water kill fish, aquatic species and plants. In some places, thousands of dead fish were found floating in the lake / near seashore few days after immersion.

This can even lead to a phenomenon called ‘dead water body’, where the water body cannot harbour any life forms.

3. It can hurt our sentiments too:

Doesn’t it hurt when you see your god lying in bits and pieces? Broken hands, damaged trunks, half-dissolved head…The whole scenario is just so disturbing. And you know what, most of the damaged idols are made up of PoP. Why? Because clay and other eco-friendly materials get dissolved in water pretty quickly.

How to Distinguish Between a Plaster of Paris (PoP) and Shadu Clay Idol?

If you see any idol, can you make out if it is a clay idol or a PoP one? Well, it’s not that hard once you know the basics.

	Shadu Clay Idol	Plaster of Paris (PoP) Idol
Weight	Heavy	Light
Size	Mostly small	All sizes
Design	Typical Design Options	Variety of new designs
Cost	Expensive	Less Expensive
Availability	Limited (In selected shops)	Easily Available (In most of the shops)
Finishing	Slightly uneven / rough	Smooth

Can Government alone stop the production of Plaster Of Paris (PoP) idols painted with chemical paints and dyes?

Government has powers and can definitely make the strict rules to ban the PoP. But is it enough? No. Because most of the times, rules stay on the paper and never get implemented in real life. And even if the government gets serious about them, miscreants always find the loopholes.

When the state government put a ban on the PoP idols in one of the states in India, the use of PoP in making idols drastically declined. Unfortunately, some corrupt artisans just added a thin layer of clay on the POP idols to camouflage them and sold them as eco-friendly ones. So bad!

Government alone can’t do anything unless we all unite to make a change. What if we refuse to buy PoP idols? With decrease in demand, artisans would no longer make them. This won’t happen immediately. But with an awareness about eco-friendly materials, good days won’t be too far.

And if we can pay some attention while purchasing the idol, no one would be able to fool us by selling POP idols in the name of eco friendly ones.

This year, instead of buying tall, shiny and colourful PoP idols that are hazardous to the environment, let’s bring home eco-friendly idols.

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4 thoughts on “All You Need To Know About Plaster Of Paris (PoP) Idols”

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Ranjan Dawar 24 November 2020 at 4:18 pm


Excellent article but would like to understand how can we identify idols are made out of POP or clay and what to do with the existing POP idol
1. Vicharoo 25 November 2020 at 10:17 am
  
  
  Thank you so much Ranjan for writing! I am glad that you liked my article. Your questions are really brilliant and practical. The basic difference between a POP & a clay is the weight. Clay idols are much more heavier and costlier than a POP idol of the same size. There are many other factors to distinguish between a POP and a Clay idol like size, shape and finishing etc. I would definitely include all your questions in this article soon with detailed answers. Once again, thank you so much for your comment. Please keep on sharing your feedback to make this blog better and more useful.