Bengaluru Ganesh festival celebrations drew large crowds to temples across the city on Monday, while civic authorities prepared 42 lake premises and temporary immersion tanks along with 659 mobile tanks to manage idol immersion across the city’s five corporations.
At the historic Dodda Ganapathi Temple in Basavanagudi, devotees began arriving early to offer prayers to Lord Ganesha. The temple conducted special pujas, abhisheka and other rituals, with floral decorations and long queues for darshan.
Temple authorities said the special rituals began at around 2 am. Prasadam was scheduled to be distributed from 6 am until midnight. The temple management also made arrangements to regulate the flow of devotees during the celebrations.
This year’s festival coincides with the Gauri festival, with residents installing idols of Gauri and Ganesha in their homes and neighbourhoods. Households and local communities are observing the occasion through prayers, traditional food preparations and public celebrations.
Some residents chose eco-friendly Ganesha idols made of clay and other natural materials. The use of such idols is intended to support more environmentally responsible celebrations, particularly as the city prepares for the immersion stage of the festival.
According to the Greater Bengaluru Authority, 42 lake premises and temporary immersion tanks, as well as 659 mobile tanks, have been arranged across Bengaluru’s five city corporations for the immersion of Ganesha idols during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. The mobile tanks have been deployed on a ward-wise basis to make immersion more convenient for residents.
The arrangements place local immersion facilities closer to residential areas and are intended to help manage the large number of idols brought for immersion. The authority’s preparations also connect the festival to the city’s wider management of public spaces, water bodies and temporary civic infrastructure during major public gatherings.
Police have made security arrangements at designated locations to manage crowds and support the smooth conduct of celebrations across Bengaluru. The deployment covers temple areas and other places where residents are gathering for the festival.
Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar extended festival greetings on social media platform X and wished the state bountiful rains and abundant harvests. Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara also conveyed his greetings and wished residents happiness, peace and prosperity.
The Greater Bengaluru Authority’s ward-wise mobile tank deployment and the continuation of temple and police arrangements will remain central to the city’s management of idol immersion and public movement during the festival.
