Mumbai – The revered Lalbaugcha Raja, one of Mumbai’s most cherished Ganesh idols, was immersed in the Arabian Sea late Sunday night, following an unexpected delay, according to officials. The immersion, a highlight of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, was postponed due to challenging high tides that disrupted the usual schedule.
The grand procession for the idol began at approximately 10 am on Saturday, coinciding with Anant Chaturdashi, the festival’s concluding day. Typically, the Lalbaugcha Raja is immersed at Girgaon Chowpatty by early Sunday morning. However, this year, the ceremony faced significant hurdles as high tides caused rough sea conditions, making it difficult to transfer the idol onto a raft for immersion.
Thousands of devotees gathered at Girgaon Chowpatty, enduring rain and waiting patiently to bid farewell to the iconic idol. The procession, which started from Lalbaug, traversed Mumbai’s bustling streets, accompanied by fervent chants of “Ganpati Bappa Morya” and vibrant celebrations. Despite a bomb threat reported earlier in the week, which prompted heightened security with over 21,000 police personnel deployed, no untoward incidents occurred during the event, a civic official confirmed to PTI.
The high tides, peaking at 4.42 meters around 11:40 am on Sunday, caused the platform carrying the idol to become unstable, delaying the immersion process. After multiple unsuccessful attempts, organizers opted to wait for safer sea conditions. By late afternoon, the idol was successfully moved to a specially designed raft, and the immersion was completed around 9:15 pm, escorted by fishermen’s boats and police teams, as reported by PTI.
The Lalbaugcha Raja, managed by the Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal, has been a cornerstone of Mumbai’s cultural and spiritual landscape for 92 years, drawing millions of devotees annually. The delayed yet triumphant immersion marked the close of the 10-day festival, with devotees already looking forward to next year’s celebrations.
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