Hyderabad’s Khairatabad Ganesh immersion procession began on September 25, with a 26-tyre truck carrying the 72-foot idol towards Hussain Sagar in a journey expected to take about six hours over approximately four kilometres.
The Hyderabad Traffic Police confirmed on X that the Shobha Yatra had commenced from the Khairatabad mandapam. Large crowds gathered along the route as devotees followed the procession and chants accompanied the movement of the idol through the city.
The scale of the vehicle and idol makes the procession a complex street-level operation. The driver must navigate electrical wires, turns, traffic and dense crowds while maintaining the stability of the idol. The truck’s average speed during the journey is about 0.67 kmph, considerably slower than the normal walking pace of a person.
Mandadi Venkat Reddy, a native of Mukkududevulapalli village in Suryapet district’s Atmakur (S) mandal, is driving the vehicle this year, according to a report by Deccan Chronicle. He has worked as a driver with Vijayawada STC Transport for 26 years and first drove the vehicle during the procession in 2017.
Reddy also handled the immersion procession in 2020 and 2025. He said he would not accept payment for driving the truck, describing the responsibility as an act of faith and service to Lord Ganesha. He said he felt blessed to receive the opportunity to drive the vehicle for the fourth time.
The procession attracts devotees from Hyderabad’s twin cities as well as from other districts and states. Its movement requires the coordination of the vehicle operator, traffic authorities, procession organisers and people gathered along the route. The combination of a large idol, a heavy multi-axle vehicle, overhead electrical infrastructure and a dense public gathering leaves limited room for abrupt changes in direction or speed.
The approximately four-kilometre route to Hussain Sagar therefore becomes a slow-moving corridor for both the procession and the city’s wider traffic system. The Hyderabad Traffic Police’s announcement marked the start of the movement, while the vehicle’s eventual arrival at the immersion point remains the next operational milestone.
