Lalbaugcha Raja reached Girgaon Chowpatty in south Mumbai on Saturday morning, marking the final stage of the iconic Ganesh idol’s visarjan procession as thousands of devotees gathered along the route.
The massive idol, covered in pink gulal, was carried through packed streets on a grand platform. Devotees danced, joined the procession and showered one another with gulal as the celebrations continued through the city. The procession was also seen in the Opera House area before reaching Chowpatty.
The arrival at Girgaon Chowpatty is a key point in Lalbaugcha Raja’s traditional immersion journey. The idol will undergo the final rituals before being immersed in the Arabian Sea, completing the public celebration that began with its installation during Ganesh Chaturthi.
The Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal was established in 1932 in central Mumbai. More than nine decades later, the mandal’s idol remains one of the city’s most prominent public Ganesh idols, drawing large crowds during the annual festival. Its visarjan procession is known for its scale and duration, with the idol traditionally reaching Girgaum Chowpatty in the early hours after Anant Chaturdashi.
Reliance Industries Executive Director and Vantara founder Anant Ambani was also participating in the immersion procession, according to the report. The procession’s movement through central and south Mumbai brought large numbers of devotees onto the streets as the city completed the final phase of its public Ganeshotsav celebrations.
Ganesh Chaturthi began on September 14 this year, initiating the 12-day Ganeshotsav period. The festival involves the installation of Lord Ganesha idols in homes and public spaces, followed by prayers, gatherings and offerings including flowers, sweets and modaks. The celebrations conclude with Ganesh Visarjan, when devotees immerse the idols in water and bid farewell to the deity.
Mumbai’s wider immersion operations were also continuing on Saturday. A total of 34,403 Ganesh idols had been immersed across the city by 6 am, according to the report. This included 6,235 public Ganesh idols, 27,615 household idols and 553 Gauri idols during the 11th-day immersion process.
No untoward incident had been reported during the immersion process until 6 am, the report said. The Lalbaugcha Raja immersion and the remaining citywide rituals were expected to conclude with the final ceremonies at Girgaon Chowpatty.
