Mumbai, Sep 1 (IANS) With chants of ‘Ganapati Bappa Moraya’, lakhs of Mumbaikars Thursday welcomed Lord Ganesha on the first day of the 11-day festival that saw idols of the elephant-headed god being installed in homes and at thousands of marquees across the city. Some of the prominent marquees and idols have been insured for crores of rupees.
Religious fervour and gaiety marked the beginning of the Ganesh festival and the morning saw devotees consecrating the idols, reciting mantras, filling the air with holy sound waves, and the evening was geared up for the first ‘maha aarti’ of the day.
According to state Home Minster R.R. Patil, nearly two lakh idols were installed across the city — of these 10,350 are at Ganesh Mandals (associations) and 1,80,650 belong to local households.
Since last week, nearly 250,000 big and small idols started arriving in the city from artisans’ studios in different parts of Mumbai and Raigad for the festival, said Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samanvaya Samiti (BSGSS) president Naresh Dahibhavkar.
With the biggest Ganesh mandals getting an insurance cover worth crores, the GSB Mandal in King?s Circle of central Mumbai has insured its pandal, devotees and the deity?s ornaments for a whopping Rs.222 crore this year.
?Including a `Standard Fire and Special Perils with Terrorism?, the mandal has also insured the members of the trust, an all-risk policy for the gold ornaments of the deity and personal accident insurance for devotees,? said trustee Satish Nayak.
The insurance is for 15 days starting Aug 27. Last year, the insurance cover for the mandal stood at Rs.49.5 crore. This year, it is around five times more.
Over 12,500 registered associations, apart from the 40,000 private housing complexes, have been preparing for the festival for the past few weeks.
The festival, which is the most popular in the state, attracts hundreds of domestic and foreign tourists.
Among the various pandals across the city, `Lal Baughcha Raja? (King of Lalbaug area) in central Mumbai, with a 12-foot tall idol towering over the devotees, attracted huge crowds. The pandaal was insured for Rs.14 crore. The Lord Ganesha here is believed to fulfil the wishes of its devotees.
The mandal, which entered its 78th year since inception, is thronged by several prominent personalities from politicians to top bureaucrats.
The other popular mandals in the city include ‘Ganesh Galli’, just a stone’s throw from the Lal Baughcha Raja, Khetwadicha Raja on Grant Road, and Chandanwadi Ganesh mandal in Kalbadevi.
Film and television stars like Nana Patekar, Govinda and Jackie Shroff also celebrated the festival with enthusiasm. Several Bollywood celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Bipasha Basu, and Anupam Kher sent online greetings to their friends, family and fans.
In the wake of the July 13 blasts in Mumbai, security has been beefed up across the city for the festivities.
