The spotlight turned onto the most-revered lalbaugcha Raja (King of lalbaug), a Ganesh idol seated this year on an owl that is considered to be Goddess laxmi’s ‘vahana’, “Andheri Cha Raja” seated in a replica of Shiva temple in Kunkeshwar and GSB Mandal Ganpapati adorned with ornaments weighing 70 kilograms of gold and 320 kilograms of silver, as the 10-day Ganesh festivities got underway in the metropolis on Monday, amid tight security and CCTV surveillance.
The metropolis reverberated to the beating of drums, cymbals, chants of “Ganpati Bappa Morya” and “Sukh-karta Dukh-harta” bhajan, as Mumbaikars took to their homes 2.25 lakh small and medium-sized Ganpati idols to their homes and Sarvajanik Mandals installed 12,000-odd huge idols across the city.
like every year, there were serpentine queues of devotees for offering prayers to lalbaugcha Raja (King of lalbaug), installed in the Masala lane of lalbaug in south-central Mumbai, while “Andheri cha Raja” and GSB Mandal Ganpati also drew huge crowds like every year.
“Mumbai Cha Raja”, a 22-foot Ganesh idol in the form of lord Vishnu installed inside a replica of Badrinath temple, “Khetwadi Ganraj, installed in the 12th lane of Khetwadi installed in a royal fusion palace inspired by designs from Rome and Rajasthan mahals and “Parelcha Raja”, a 30-foot idol mounted on a 16-hooded black serpent, also hit the popularity charts, as Mumbaikars ushered in the “Ëlephant-headed God” either at their homes or nearby Sarvajanik (public) Ganesh Mandal venues.
This time around, the lalbaugcha Raja Mandal has installed 120 CCTVs to capture minutest details of the goings-on at its venue, while it has deployed 300 security guards to ensure against untoward incidents in and around the venue.
The eight-and-a-half-foot Ganpati idol, seated in the backdrop of a replica of a Shiv temple located at Kunkeshwar (known as Konkan Kashi) in Sidhudurg district in coastal Konkan region, is a visual delight.
The GSB Ganpati is the richest idol, adorned with that it has 70 kgs of gold and 327 kgs of silver, installed in a sprawling venue of 80,000 sq feet at King’s Circle in north-central Mumbai.