Mumbai all set to welcome Lord Ganesh, more than 2,500 mandals get nod

Mumbai: More than 2,500 Ganesh mandals and lakhs of households in the financial capital of the country will be celebrating the ten-day Ganesh festival from Saturday.

Authorities had received 3,358 applications from Ganesh mandals — groups that celebrate the festival in public places — and permission to put up pandals was granted to 2,635 mandals as of Friday, said a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation official. Another 300-odd applications were pending approval, he said.

Many mandals brought in their Ganpati idols with grand processions in the last two-three days.

The idols will be installed at homes and in pandals with rituals on Saturday.

Crawford Market, Lohar Chawl and Dadar vegetable markets were chock-a-block during the day with people thronging to buy flowers, sweets, puja materials and items for decoration.

Bright, coloured lights have already lit up streets and bylanes in Lalbaug, Parel, Girgaon, Andheri, Chembur, Fort and other areas which house famous Ganapati mandals.

Lakhs of devotees visit some of the popular pandals such as `Lalbaugcha Raja’ during the ten days of the festival.

Other well-known mandals in the area include Chinchpokli, Ganesh Gully and Tejukaya.

The Matunga-based GSB Seva Mandal, known for its Lord Ganesha adorned with gold jewellery, is considered one of the wealthiest mandals.

Some 15,000 police personnel will be on the streets for the next ten days to provide security, officials said.