The Khairtabad Ganesh immersion procession in Hyderabad began around 9.30am on Friday after technical issues delayed the movement of the 69-foot idol onto a special vehicle, with thousands of devotees gathering along the route to Hussainsagar.
The procession for the city’s iconic Bada Ganesh had been scheduled to begin early in the morning. The delay was linked to technical difficulties involved in shifting the towering Panchamukha Sankatahara Maha Ganapati onto the vehicle designated for the procession.
As the idol moved from Khairtabad towards Hussainsagar, large crowds gathered on streets, footpaths and balconies around Khairtabad, Rajdoot Chowrasta, Telephone Bhavan and Telangana Thalli. Devotees chanted prayers and followed the procession as it passed through the central Hyderabad area.
The route continued past the Secretariat towards NTR Marg, where the idol was taken for immersion. The gathering became particularly dense along the final stretch, with police and volunteers placing barricades to regulate access and maintain a clear path for the procession.
Some devotees jumped over the barricades as the crowds grew and attempted to obtain a closer view of the idol. Police intervened in these instances while volunteers helped manage movement near the immersion route.
The event placed substantial pressure on the city’s public spaces, including roadways, footpaths and viewing areas. The delay at the start of the procession also extended the period during which devotees waited along the route before the idol began its journey.
The Khairtabad idol is one of Hyderabad’s most prominent Ganesh festival processions. Its scale requires the coordinated movement of a large vehicle, crowd-control barriers, police personnel and volunteers through some of the city’s busiest public areas. In the reported procession, the technical delay and subsequent crowding became the main operational challenges before the idol reached the Hussainsagar immersion stretch.
Police and volunteers continued to cordon off the final section near NTR Marg as devotees gathered for a view of the immersion proceedings. The report did not provide details of injuries, arrests, traffic diversions or the time at which the immersion was completed.
