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Ganesh Chaturthi Celebrations
Processions for the immersion of Lord Ganesh idols began in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra on Tuesday morning amid tight security and fanfare as the 10-day festival drew to a close. The 'Ganesh Chaturthi' festival, which began on September 7, is concluding with 'Anant Chaturdashi' on Tuesday. In Mumbai's Lalbaug area, famous for celebrating the festival with grandeur, the procession of the idol of Tejukaya mandal started amid the chants of 'Ganapati bappa morya, pudhchya varshi lavkar ya' (come soon next year Lord). The procession of the famous Lalbaugcha Raja idol, which attracts maximum number of devotees, celebrities and prominent personalities during the festival, is also set to begin. Processions from various parts of Mumbai, including Fort, Mazgaon, Byculla, Dadar, and Chembur, will make their way towards the Arabian Sea and other water bodies for the final immersion, marking the end of this year's festivities. Devotees thronged the streets, especially on the main roa
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday said a decision on reinducting NCP (SP) leader Eknath Khadse into the BJP will be taken by the party's central leadership after the ongoing Ganesh festival. He also said that farmers will hugely benefit from the Centre's decision to increase the customs duty on crude and refined sunflower and soybean oils. Talking to reporters at the Nagpur airport while answering a query on Khadse's possible return to the Bharatiya Janata Party, Fadnavis said, "Whatever decision the BJP's central leadership takes will be accepted. We will hold talks with the party leadership and a decision will be made after the ongoing Ganesh festival." Speculation about Khadse, a former BJP leader currently with the Sharad Pawar-led NCP, returning to the saffron party intensified after the BJP renominated his daughter-in-law Raksha Khadse as Lok Sabha candidate, and made her a Union Minister of State after she won. But there has been no ...
More than 48,000 idols of Lord Ganesh and Goddess Gauri were immersed in Mumbai on the sixth day of the festival dedicated to the elephant-headed deity, civic officials said on Friday. Of the 48,044 idols immersed in the Arabian Sea and artificial ponds in the city till 6 am on Friday, 41,154 were household Ganesh idols, while 535 belonged to sarvajanik mandals' (community groups). Officials from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said that 6,355 idols of Goddess Gauri were also immersed. The idols were immersed amid chants of Ganpati Bappa Morya', prayers and devotional songs. During the 10-day Ganpati festival, devotees bid an emotional farewell to the idols of their beloved deity after one-and-a-half days, five days, and six or seven days. According to BMC officials, 17,603 household Ganesh idols, 124 sarvajanik Ganpati idols, and 2,482 that of Gauri were put in artificial ponds, set up to avoid pollution of natural water bodies, across the city. No untoward incident
Three more people have been held in connection with the clashes that broke out between two groups during a Lord Ganesh idol procession, police said on Friday. The situation in Nagamangala town in Mandya district has returned to normal two days after the clashes on Wednesday following which mobs went on a rampage targeting several shops and vehicles leading to tension. Though the situation remains peaceful in the town, additional police forces have been deployed and prohibitory orders preventing the assembly of more than four people have been imposed in the area till September 14 as a precautionary measure. With the fresh arrests, the total number of people held in the case now stands at 55. A team of experts from the Forensic Science Laboratory also visited the spot on Thursday to collect evidence. "The situation is peaceful here and besides the 52 people already arrested, we have secured three more people in connection with the incident. We have additional police forces deployed
More than 38,000 Ganesh idols have been immersed in Mumbai on the fifth day of the Ganpati festival, civic officials said on Thursday. No untoward incident was reported anywhere during the immersion, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said. The 10-day festival began with the Ganesh Chaturthi on September 7. Of the 38,717 idols immersed in the sea and artificial ponds in the city from Wednesday till 6 am on Thursday, 37,569 were from households and 1,095 belonged to sarvajanik mandals' (community groups), BMC officials said. During the 10-day Ganpati festival, devotees usually bid farewell to idols of the elephant-headed God after one-and-a-half days, five days and seven days. The final immersion process is held on the last day (Anant Chaturdashi). Of the Ganesh idols immersed on the fifth day, 14880, including 14,555 household idols and 338 public idols, were put in artificial ponds, set up to avoid pollution of natural water bodies. As many as 53 'Hartalika' idols were