On Sunday, Mumbai saw a heartfelt farewell to Lord Ganesh as thousands of devotees participated in the immersion of the elephant-headed deity’s idols throughout the city. Bhushan Gagrani, Commissioner of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), reported that over 10,000 Ganesh idols were immersed by late evening. The Ganesh festival, which commenced with grand celebrations on Saturday, saw families and community groups installing idols of their beloved god in homes and public pandals. The immersion of these idols began Sunday afternoon after a day and a half of festivities, primarily involving household installations.
The air was filled with chants of “Ganpati Bappa morya, mangal murti morya…pudchya varshi lavkar ya,” as devotees carried their idols to beaches and artificial water bodies for immersion. These chants, which ask the Lord to return early next year, echoed the deep reverence and devotion of the participants.Gagrani highlighted that Lord Ganesh is revered for bringing prosperity and removing obstacles. To ensure a smooth immersion process, the government, BMC, and police had made extensive arrangements, including traffic diversions and the deployment of additional personnel.
For the initial immersion, as well as for subsequent events such as the fifth day, Gouri visarjan, and the final day, traffic police were deployed to manage the situation. The authorities also provided separate parking, mobile toilets, flood lights, bodyguards, prayer mandaps, and VIP pandals to facilitate the event. A total of 12,000 personnel were on hand to assist with the idol immersion across 204 artificial ponds and beaches in the city and suburbs. Additionally, 71 control rooms were established to ensure the process was smooth and incident-free.