Ganesh festival begins in Maharashtra amid fanfare

September 07, 2024 13:10

Devotees transport Lord Ganesh's idol in a train ahead of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, at Mumbai Central Railway Station/ANI Photo

The 10-day Ganesh festival began in Maharashtra on Saturday, with idols of the deity being installed in homes and at public pandals across the state amid fanfare and gaiety.

Families, including children and elderly members, stepped out of their homes early morning to bring their beloved god home amid chants of "Ganpati Bappa Morya" and the beating of drums.

Many people were seen carrying the idols of Lord Ganesh in autorickshaws, cars, and other modes of transport.

Traditional 'dhol-tasha' (drum) troupes accompanied the processions which began in the morning. Many mandals - groups that celebrate the festival in public places -- brought in their Ganesh idols with grand processions in the last few days.

The idols will be installed at homes and in pandals with rituals.

Devotees thronged vegetable and flower markets, sweet shops and roadside stalls for buying flowers, puja materials, sweets and decorative items.

Several politicians and celebrities from Bollywood install idols of the deity of wisdom and knowledge in their homes every year.

In Mumbai, around 15,000 police personnel besides senior officials have been deployed for security during the 10-day festival.

As many as 32 deputy commissioners of police, 45 assistant commissioners, 2,435 officials, 12,420 constables, home guards and personnel of the State Reserve Police Force, Rapid Action Force and Riot Control Unit will be on the streets, an official said.

More than 2,500 Ganesh mandals and lakhs of households in the financial capital of the country will be celebrating the festival.

Authorities received 3,358 applications from Ganesh mandals, and permission to put up pandals was granted to 2,635 mandals as on Friday, a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official said. -- PTI

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

LIVE! Kohli's restaurant gets notice over fire safety lapses

Govt tweaks poll rule to curb public inspection of...

Based on the recommendation of the Election Commission (EC), the Union law ministry on Friday amended Rule 93(2)(a) of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, to restrict the type of "papers" or documents open to public inspection.

'Pushpa 2' stampede: CM lambast 'inhuman' Allu Arjun

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has criticized Telugu actor Allu Arjun for attending the screening of 'Pushpa-2' despite police permission being denied. Reddy alleges that the actor continued to be present at the cinema hall...

Modi meets Mahabharata, Ramayana's Arabic translator

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met two Kuwaiti nationals who translated and published India's two iconic epics, Mahabharata and Ramayana in Arabic during his two-day visit to Kuwait. Modi, who praised their work, said it highlights the...

TN temple refuses to return iPhone dropped in 'hundi'

As per the practises and tradition at the temples, any offerings made into the hundial directly goes into the account of the deity of that temple. Rules do not permit the administration to return the offerings back to the devotees, Babu...