Over 37,000 idols immersed in Mumbai as Ganesh festival draws to a close

Mumbai: More than 37,000 idols of Lord Ganesh and Goddess Gauri were immersed in water bodies across Mumbai by Wednesday morning as devotees bade farewell to their favourite elephant-headed deity with the conclusion of the festival, officials said.

The immersion processions, which began on Tuesday morning on the last day of the Ganesh festival, continued smoothly throughout the night, with devotees thronging the city's beaches, lakes and artificial ponds for immersion of the idols.

The idol of Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh - which like every year drew lakhs of devotees - was immersed into the Arabian Sea off the Girgaon beach in south Mumbai around 10.30 am. Thousands of devotees made a beeline to catch the last glimpse of the deity.

Chinchpoklicha Chintamani, another famous Ganesh mandal from Lalbaug and idols of few other groups were also brought to the beach for immersion.

Immersion took place at artificial ponds as well as Girgaon, Dadar, Juhu, Marve and Aksa beaches, among other spots in the megapolis.

"By 6 am on Wednesday, a total of 37,064 idols of Lord Ganesh and Gauri were immersed in various water bodies across Mumbai. These include 5,762 idols of 'sarvajanik' (community groups). Of the total, 11,713 idols were immersed in the artificial ponds set up across the city," a civic official said.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had made elaborate arrangements for the immersion by deploying thousands of personnel, lifeguards and emergency services to ensure that the processions pass off smoothly and safely.

The festival began on September 7 and culminated on September 17.

More than 24,000 police personnel were deployed on Mumbai streets for security and crowd management.

The State Reserve Police Force, Quick Response Teams, Riot Control Police, Home Guards and Maharashtra Security Force have also been roped in, officials said.