The 10-day-long Ganeshotsav festivities came to a grand close on Anant Chaturdashi on Saturday, with Mumbai giving a rousing farewell to its beloved deity amid the beats of dhol-tasha and clouds of gulal.
Earlier in the day, `rangolis` were drawn on roads, even as parts of the city witnessed light to moderate showers since morning.
Until noon, 405 idols had been immersed in the city, reported news agency PTI, citing official data from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
Of these 405 idols, 11 were those of the Sarvajanik (public) mandals, 383 were Gharguti (household) idols, and 11 were the idols of Goddess Gauri. Authorities stated that the immersions were conducted smoothly, with no untoward incidents reported so far.
Police and civic officials remained deployed across immersion spots in the city to ensure that the ongoing Ganesh Visarjan 2025 process is conducted in a smooth manner.
In Central Mumbai`s Lalbaug area, famous for its iconic Ganapati mandals, the processions began with the idols of Tejukaya, Ganesh Gully, and several other mandals.
Thousands gathered along the streets of Lalbaug and other major procession routes to bid farewell to the beloved deity, with prayers on their lips, and witnessed the vibrant spectacle filled with music, dance, and clouds of celebratory gulal.
Processions of the famous Ganpatis from Lalbaug, including Lalbaugcha Raja, Chinchpoklicha Chintamani, Ballaleshwar of Bal Ganesh Mandal, Mumbaicha Raja of Ganesh Galli, Mahaganapati of Kalachowki, Rangari Badak Chawl Ganapati, and Tejukaya Ganapati, had reached the main road by 1 pm, reported PTI.
With the festival almost coming to an end, crowds assembled at Shroff Building in Lalaug, from where the traditional “Pushpvrishti” (flower shower) was performed with a model of a Rafale aircraft pulled using a rope contraption.
Major processions from Lalbaug, Parel, Kalachowki, and other areas of central Mumbai began moving towards the seafronts after 1.30 pm. PTI.
(With inputs from PTI)
