Sunday marked the first time that Lalbaugcha Raja’s immersion at Chowpatty was delayed by over 12 hours. According to the Lalbaugcha Raja Mandal, heavy rain delayed the ritual, and the procession reached the beach in Girgaon just 15 minutes after the high tide had begun. The trolley then got stuck in the sand and was removed only in the afternoon. The idol was eventually immersed in the Arabian Sea around 9.15 pm, according to officials.
Mandal president Sudhir Salvi had told mid-day on Sunday evening that the idol would be immersed after 10.30 pm as thousands of devotees waited at Chowpatty to bid farewell to Lalbaugcha Raja.
He added that everyone was trying their best to carry out the visarjan as soon as possible. Members of the Koli community, along with the Lalbaugcha Raja Mandal, are keeping a vigil on the idol at Chowpatty.
According to the mandal, when devotees reached Chowpatty at 8 am on Sunday, the high tide had already begun in the Arabian Sea, making immersion unsafe. During the first attempt, in the morning, the idol’s trolley got stuck in the sand, and the heavy rainfall made it impossible to continue the immersion. The idol, along with the trolley, remained stuck in the water till late afternoon. Mandal karyakartas supported the idol in the water for several hours. By late evening, they managed to remove it from the sea.
The Lalbaugcha Raja Mandal has apologised to devotees and thanked the Mumbai police for their support.
Usually, Lalbaugcha Raja Mandal uses an electrically operated raft with a hydraulic tilting system for visarjan. But this year, a new hydraulic trolley was imported from Gujarat was pressed into service, according to the mandal. Last year, the immersion took place at 11.30 am on the day of the visarjan.
