Today was the final day of the Immersion of the Ganpati which arrived in the neighborhood ten days back. While I probably didn’t document the entire mandal, today was hard to miss. The music for one. It almost resembled a punjabi wedding, which I’m more familiar with. So this is how it happens. All the Ganpatis of the various mandals are today lifted and with a lot of fan fare, music ( to the taste of thier devotees) and lights and are carried along thier specific routes for immersion into the sea. In Mumbai, the Girgaon chow-patty and Juhu chow patty are famous for this. Lakhs of devotees gather with the Ganpatis for the immersion. I was strongly dissuaded from a visit, given the frenzied crowd, but as it turned out, I was able to get a glimpse of the procession which is hard not to share.
Ganesh
Ganpati and Strawberry Modak
Ganpati Arrives
The Ganpati festival spanning 10 days has begun in Maharashtra. On this day “Ganesha” , the elephant-headed God is said to descend on earth. Amidst fireworks and resounding drumbeats, a neighborhood Ganpati is marching towards its “Pandal”, a temporary worship place created by the community for the days of Puja (worship), atop a colourful truck here.