Mumbai, Sep 25 Mumbai’s air reverberated with chants of “Ganpati Bappa Morya” and the rhythmic beats of dhol-tasha on Friday as immersion processions rolled through the city, with devotees bidding an emotional farewell to Lord Ganesh on the final day of the festival.
After traditional puja and aarti in the presence of large numbers of devotees at ‘sarvajanik’ (community) Ganesh pandals, immersion processions of several prominent mandals began with energetic chants, traditional music and showers of gulal and flower petals.
Ganpati Idols have started reaching immersion points in the city, said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
As many as 430 idols were immersed till noon. Of these, eight were sarvajani Ganpati idols, 416 household idols and six goddess Gauri/Hartalika idols, the civic body said.
“No untoward incident was reported during the immersion process till noon,” the BMC said in its latest update.
The 12-day Ganpati festival culminates on Anant Chaturdashi, when devotees bid farewell to the elephant-headed god by immersing idols in natural water bodies or artificial ponds.
The day witnesses colourful and vibrant processions across Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra, with celebrations often continuing until late Friday night and into the early hours of the next day.
A large number of devotees, including women and children, gathered along roads in the Lalbaug-Parel area to watch the colourful immersion processions and ‘pushpavrushti’ (showering of flower petals on Ganpati idols) and soak in the festive atmosphere.
People from across Mumbai and other parts of the country throng Lalbaug during Ganeshotsav to visit pandals such as the famous Lalbaugcha Raja.
Processions of several famous Ganapati idols, including Mumbaicha Raja of Ganesh Galli, Curry Roadcha Kaivari, Parelcha Raja, Mahaganapati of Kalachowki and Ganapati of Tejukaya Mansion, took to the roads in the area before 11 am.
However, the idols of other famous mandals, including Lalbaugcha Raja and Chinchpokalicha Chintamani, had not been taken out of their pandals till then.
After pushpavrushti at Shroff Building in Lalbaug, the Ganpati idols proceed towards Girgaon Chowpatty and Dadar Chowpatty, two of the city’s major immersion locations, as well as other immersion sites.
Curry Roadcha Kaivari was the first procession to leave Lalbaug after petal showers at Shroff Building. Processions of Ramgari Barak Chawl, Tejukaya Mansion and Kalachowkicha Mahaganapati also left the area for immersion points along the seafront by noon.
In other parts of Mumbai too, immersion processions began with enthusiasm. In Borivali, the procession of ‘Upnagar cha Raja’ was also heading towards an immersion point.
Several processions were accompanied by traditional dhol-tasha troupes, while devotees danced and chanted devotional songs.
The Mumbai police and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) have made elaborate arrangements to facilitate idol immersions.
More than 24,000 police personnel will be on duty during the day to regulate traffic and ensure the smooth movement of processions, while the BMC has deployed 25,000 staffers, officials said.
The civic body has made arrangements for lifeguards, ambulances, medical teams, cranes and other emergency services at 67 natural immersion sites and 383 artificial lakes in the city.
The authorities have appealed to devotees to follow safety guidelines, use designated immersion points and cooperate with police and civic personnel during the processions.
The BMC has also urged citizens to exercise caution while entering the sea for immersion and follow instructions of civic and police authorities, particularly in view of the presence of blue-button jellyfish and stingrays along the coastline.
(PTI News)
