With just a day left for the ‘Ganesh Chaturthi’ a festival that marks the birthday of the elephant-headed god, devotees are already prepping up the arrangements for the ten-day-long extravaganza.
Also addressed as Vināyaka Chaturthi, the festival is celebrated with great zeal in whole of India, especially in the state of Maharashtra and Telangana!
Khairatabad Ganesha:
Khairatabad Ganapathi is one of the popular idols in the world where people from across the country would like to visit and have the laddu prasadam. It is one of the tallest idols installed in the country. This time apart from having a huge laddu, this Ganesha will go for Nimajjan first into the tankbund lake waters.
Lalbaugcha Raja
One must have seen last year Shankar Mahadevan singing Ganpati aarti in the presence of Amitabh Bachchan and family in this most visited Ganpati Pandal- Lalbaugcha Raja. Also, addressed as ‘King of Lalbaug’ the mandal was founded in 1934 and it attracts millions of people every day in Mumbai.
It is believed that Lalbaugcha Raja is a ‘Navsacha Ganpati’ that means he will fulfill all the wishes of those who visits him.
Mumbaicha Raja
If you can’t get Ganpati’s darshan at the Lalbaugcha Raja then visit Mubaicha Raja which is located only a few lanes away and again is very popular. It’s one of the oldest mandal which was formed in 1928.
GSB Seva Mandal Ganpati
This Ganpati mandal located at King’s circle in Matunga is considered to be the richest in the town as the Bappa idol adorns huge quantities of gold and silver. The idol is often addressed as ‘gold Ganpati’ and is the glory of central Mumbai!
Andhericha Raja
If you reside in the western part of the city then you may visit the famous Andhericha Raja! This pandal was established in 1966 and is visited by thousands of devotees from a celebrity to a common man in Mumbai.
Khetwadi Ganpati
This Ganpati Mandal is considered to be one of the most creative ones and in the year 2000, the highest Ganesh Idol was made standing at 40 feet tall! The respective mandal was formed in 1959 and is located at Girgaum in south Mumbai.
While this is about Ganapathi idols and Pooja the final day procession is also a big draw with people from all walks of life joining the procession with Band Baja. Even in Hyderabad it stars in old city and ends at tankbund criss crossing the city. Lakhs of people come a join this process and dance all the way to the lake waters.
