Lalbaugcha Raja idol being carried for the immersion at the end of Ganesh Chaturthi, in Mumbai on September 17. (Image: PTI)
More than 37,000 idols of Hindu deities Ganesha and Gauri were immersed in water bodies across Mumbai with the conclusion of Ganesh Chaturthi on September 17
The immersion of Lalbaugcha Raja, Mumbai’s most famous Ganesha idol, drew lakhs of devotees as it was taken for ‘visarjan’ to the Girgaon beach. The procession for this began on Tuesday (September 17), the last day of Ganesh Chaturthi, while the idol was finally immersed in the Arabian Sea on Wednesday (September 18) around 10.30 am.
The immersion of the idol of Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh draws a massive crowd every year, and this year was no different. Visuals of the procession went viral on social media with thousands of devotees making a beeline to catch the last glimpse of their favourite elephant-headed deity.
Visuals also showed Anant Ambani, non-executive director of Reliance Industries, taking part in the ‘visarjan’ of Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh at Girgaon Chowpatty. Besides, more than 37,000 idols of Ganesha and Gauri were immersed in water bodies across the city by Wednesday morning with the conclusion of the festival, officials said.
The immersion processions, which began on Tuesday morning on the last day of Ganesh Chaturthi, continued smoothly throughout the night, with devotees thronging beaches, lakes and artificial ponds for immersion of the idols.
Chinchpoklicha Chintamani, another famous Ganesh mandal from Lalbaug and idols of some other groups were also brought to the beach for immersion. Immersion took place at artificial ponds as well as Girgaon, Dadar, Juhu, Marve and Aksa beaches, among other spots.
“On Wednesday, a total of 37,064 idols of Lord Ganesh and Gauri were immersed in various water bodies across Mumbai. These include 5,762 idols of ‘sarvajanik’ (community groups). Of the total, 11,713 idols were immersed in the artificial ponds set up across the city,” a civic official said.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) made elaborate arrangements for the immersion by deploying thousands of personnel, lifeguards and emergency services to ensure that the processions pass off smoothly and safely.
The festival began on September 7 and culminated on September 17.
Over 24,000 police personnel were deployed on Mumbai streets for security and crowd management. The State Reserve Police Force, quick response teams, riot control police, Home Guards and Maharashtra Security Force were also roped in.
(With PTI inputs)