With chants of ‘Ganpati Bappa Morya’, the 11th Lane Khetwadi in South Mumbai welcomed the 42-foot-tall Lord Ganesha idol on Sunday (August 10).
Ahead of Ganeshotsav 2025, Mumbai is gearing up to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi with grand pandals and sparkling lights across the city.
This year, South Mumbai residents have welcomed the tallest Lord Ganesha idol. The 11th Lane of Khetwadi (locally known as Khetwadi 11th Galli) hosts the tallest idol in Mumbai.
The Khetwadi 11th Galli Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal, founded in 1962, is celebrating its 64th year. The 42-foot idol of ‘Mumbaicha Maharaja’, called ‘Khetwadi cha Lambodara’, is presented in the Swananda avatar.
“This year we are bringing a 42-foot Lord Ganesha idol, with our theme being Swanand Lok (also known as Swananda Lok),” said Hemant Dixit, President of the mandal.
When asked about reducing the idol’s height, he said there were no specific reasons for lowering it.
Explaining this year’s theme, Dixit said, “We have made Swananda Loka our theme.”
Swananda Loka is described as the heavenly realm of Lord Ganesha. “It is believed to be a place of eternal happiness and bliss, where Lord Ganesha resides as Swananda Bala Ganpati,” Dixit added.
Speaking about the avatar, he said, “This year’s avatar matches our theme. The idol will be in the original ‘Swananda Ganpati’ form. Below the idol is a ‘Yali’.”
The Yali is a mythical creature with a lion’s body, elephant’s head, and horse’s or lion’s legs. Lord Ganesha may be shown seated on a Yali as a throne, or the Yali may be part of the decorative prabhavali (arch or halo) behind the idol.
The idol was sculpted by Sunil Waradkar, a murtikar from Girgaon.
Last year, the Khetwadi 11th Galli Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal hosted a 47-foot idol. In 2023, a 45-foot idol of ‘Mumbaicha Maharaja’ was presented in the Indra Dev avatar.
Ganesh Chaturthi, also known as Ganeshotsav, a 10-day Hindu festival dedicated to Lord Ganesha, will be observed from August 27 to September 6.
