Devotees bring home Lord Ganesha with fervour

Devotees across India on Thursday welcomed their most beloved and venerated deity -- Lord Ganesh -- into their homes and community pandals, kickstarting the ten-day Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations with zeal and devotion.

Devotees load an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, onto a truck to a place of worship on the first day of the ten-day-long Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India. Photograph: Shailesh Andrade/ Reuters

The festival commenced with devotees installing colorfully-crafted idols of Ganesh, known as the Lord of Good Fortune and Destroyer of Obstacles in their homes and beautifully decorated pandals across the country with full customs and rituals.

Devotees pay tribute to an elephant on Ganesh Chaturthi in Guwahati.

In Mumbai, thousands of devotees thronged to the famous Siddhivinayak Temple at Prabhadevi to participate in the aarti and seek Ganesha's blessings amid chants of 'Ganpati bappa morya'.

Devotees take home an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, via a taxicab on the first day of the ten-day-long Ganesh Chaturthi festival. Photograph: PTI

Ganesh mandals like Lalbaugcha Raja, GSB Seva Mandal in Kings circle, Wadala GSB Mandal and Ganesh Galli Ganpati are some of the other famous venues in Mumbai, where people queue up in huge numbers for worship.

Devotees transport an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, in a taxi to a place of worship on the first day of the ten-day-long Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai. Photograph: Shailesh Andrade/ Reuters

Authorities made stringent security arrangements to prevent any untoward incident during the festivities.

Around 35,000-plus security personnel including those from quick response teams, rapid action force, and state reserve police Force have been deployed. They will also be assisted by volunteers from national cadet corps, scout and guide, and NGOs.

A Hindu priest worships an idol of Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, inside a "pandal" a temporary makeshift tent on the first day of the ten-day-long Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Kolkata. Photograph: Rupak De Chowdhuri/ Reuters

In Mumbai, Bollywood personalities like Salman Khan, Jeetendra, Nana Patekar, Akshay Kumar, Hrithik Roshan and a host of Marathi film and theatre actors are prominent among the celebrities who celebrate Ganesh chaturthi at their homes.

Devotees bring in the sarvajanik (public) Ganapati idol, on the first day of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India. Photograph: PTI

Among the politicians, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Rural Development Minister Pankaja Munde, former union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam, former Chief Minister Manohar Joshi, NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal host the Lord in their homes.

Devotees light the diya or lamp before the statue of lord Ganesh.

The Bombay high court, earlier this week had said that it would issue contempt notices to all those political parties, trusts and organisations which set up pandals during 'Dahi Handi' and Ganesh Chaturthi festivals without securing permission and flouted noise pollution rules.