Goodbye Bappa, Says India

It is a bittersweet moment that comes every year when India says goodbye to its beloved Lord Ganesha.

Across the nation, murtis large and small make their way to the sea, to lakes, ponds or man-made water bodies where the Visarjan ceremony takes place.

Mumbai's skyscrapers seem to be bowing to Lord Ganesha.

 

A devotee offers prayers before taking Lord Ganesha for immersion in Nagpur.

 

Your heart sinks a bit because you know it will be a year before He visits again but Lord Ganesha still finds a way to fill you with joy; these devotees in Amritsar say a smiling goodbye to Him.

 

In Kanpur, Lord Ganesha gets a hug from his devotees before they say alvida to Him for the year.

 

Against the backdrop of the mighty Himalayas, Lord Ganesha gets a fond goodbye in Srinagar.

 

Devotees in Kullu, drenched in gulal, dance for the Vignaharta.

 

At 70 feet, the Khairatabad Ganesha is one of the tallest Lord Ganeshas this year.

He is accompanied by a sea of devotees on his immersion journey.

Rediff.com reader Vamsikrishna N shared pictures of his darshan here.

 

A Lord Ganpati immersion procession wends its way past the Charminar in Hyderabad.

 

Lord Ganeshas, in different roops, pass the four-pillared Charminar.

 

 

The Taj Mahal says goodbye to a turbaned Lord Ganesha in Agra.

 

In Surat, devotees take their Lord Ganesha murtis in trailers and trucks to the immersion point.

 

Lord Ganesha gets a grand farewell in Mumbai.

 

These Lord Ganeshas are from Goregaon, north Mumbai.

 

More than 24,000 police personnel have been deployed to ensure security in Mumbai during immersion processions.

 

Drones are being used at important immersion sites such as Girgaon Chowpatty, Dadar, Bandra, Juhu, Versova, Powai Lake and Madh Island to ensure there are no security lapses.

 

Apsaras surround Lord Ganesha in Mumbai.

 

A glimpse of Mumbai on Anant Chaturdashi, the final day of the Ganpati festival.

• GaneshUtsav, 2024

Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com