Ganesh Visarjan: Stunning photos of bidding adieu to Ganpati Bappa

In the ongoing 10-day Ganesh Chaturthi festivities, the visarjan for Lord Ganesh has already started. Starting on the second day onwards, a few devotees have started to bid adieu to Ganapati Bappa for the year. With elaborate processions, people dancing to the tunes of popular songs, the idols were taken for immersion in different cities across the nation.

People celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi festival on the banks of river Gomti during Lord Ganesha Idol immersion ceremony in Lucknow. (Source: Express Photo by Vishal Srivastav)

People get together for aarti before Lord Ganesha's idol immersion ceremony in Lucknow. (Source: Express Photo by Vishal Srivastav)

Lord Ganesha's idol gets carried by people for the immersion ceremony. (Source: Express Photo by Vishal Srivastav)

Devotees carry Lord Ganesha's during the idol immersion ceremony on the banks on river Gomti. (Source: Express Photo by Vishal Srivastav)

People celebrate with colours during the Ganpati Visarjan in Lucknow. (Source: Express Photo by Vishal Srivastav)

Ganpati immersion at Lalbaug. Express photo by Prashant Nadkar

Ganpati immersion at Lalbaug. Express photo by Prashant Nadkar

Ganpati immersion at Lalbaug. Express photo by Prashant Nadkar

Express photo by Prashant Nadkar

Ganpati immersion at Girgaon Chowpatty in Mumbai. Express Photos by Pradip Das.

Express Photos by Pradip Das.

Express Photos by Pradip Das.

Express Photos by Pradip Das.

Express Photos by Pradip Das.

Ganesh Visharjan at Juhu Beach. Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty

Express Photo by Ganesh Shirsekar

Ganpati immersion at Lalbaug. Express photo by Prashant Nadkar

Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty

Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty

Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty

Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty

Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty

Ganpati immersion at Lalbaug. Express photo by Prashant Nadkar

Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty

Ganpati immersion at girgaon chowpatty in Mumbai. Express Photo by Ganesh Shirsekar

Express Photo by Ganesh Shirsekar

Express photo by Prashant Nadkar

Ganpati immersion at Lalbaug. Express photo by Prashant Nadkar

Arti is perform for Ganpati and Gauri on the sixth day of Ganesh festival for immersiom at Juhu, Vile Parle West. (Express photo by Kevin DSouza)

Devotees at the Ganpati immersion pond at Somwar Bazaar, Malad, Mumbai. (Express photo by Dilip Kagda)

Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated on the fourth full moon day of Bhadrapad (in between September to October) month of Hindu calendar. An idol of Lord Ganesha is brought home on the day of Ganesh Chaturthi and is immersed in water after 10 days i.e. on Anant Chaudas. Anant Chaudas or Anant Chaturdashi is the last day of the ‘Vinayak Chaturthi’. (Source: AP)

Ganpati immersion at the Girgaon Chowpatty in Mumbai. (Express photo by Ganesh Shirsekar)

Gauri-Ganpati immersion at the Malad Marve Beach on Saturday. (Express Photo by Dilip Kagda)

Anthadupula Ramadevi, Telu Vijaya and Mamindla Padmavathi have captured the essence of the Bathukamma festival at Girgaon Chowpatty in Mumbai. (Express photo by Ganesh Shirsekar)

Dholakwalas and musicians from Jalgaon, Dhule, Nashik, Malegaon, Yevle gathered together to bid adieu to Lord Ganesha at Shivaji Chowk, Mumbai. (Express photo by Deepak Joshi)

A devotee prays at Girgaon Chowpatty, Mumbai right before visarjan. (Express photo by Ganesh Shirsekar)

There is heavy security and strict traffic restrictions to avoid inconvenience to devotees flocking the city for darshan and also to ensure that the visarjan routes remain clear. Mumbai police have said that they will also use drone cameras at five of the most crowded immersion points of the city. (Source: AP)

This year, Mumbai alone had about 6,300 sarvajanik Ganesh pandals, more than 1.2 lakh home Ganesh idols and about 9,000 Gauri idols. (Source: PTI)

Ganesh Chaturthi is the festival celebrated by Hindus across the world in honour of Lord Ganesha (the God with the head of an elephant). On this day, devotees pray to the God for prosperity and unhindered new beginnings. Also known as 'Vinayak Chaturthi' or 'Vinayaka Chavithi' the festival is celebrated during the Hindu month of Bhadra (mid-August to mid-September), ending on the 14th day of the fortnight, called 'Ananta Chaturdashi'. During the festival, local communities put up public pandals for mass worship, while families bring home small clay idols to pray. When the festivities end (this year, it will culminate on September 13), the idols are immersed in a large bodies of water where they disintegrate over time. Here's a look at this year's Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

Special rituals are followed befoe the diol is imerssed in water. The idol is usually imerssed in sea, river, pond among others. These days being concerned about the environment people have also adopted to visarjan ceremonies at home. (Source: PTI)

Before the idol of Ganesha is taken out for the visarjan ceremony, a specaial arti is performed. The rituals of the visarjan begin with a special ritual known as uttarang Puja which involves offering panchameva (five items), deep (oil lamps), Pushpa (flowers), Dhoop (incense sticks), Gandhi (fragrance) and Naivedyam (food) to Ganpati. After the arati some Akshat (raw rice) is sprinkled onto the idol. The idol of Ganesha is then lifted from his seat and is carried to some threshold, where it is turned to face the house and is placed on the floor. (Source: AP)

As part of the final ritual, a spoonful of curd is poured by the women of the house into the idol’s mouth, it is believed that guests who receive curd and rice are sure to visit again. (Source: AP

A Hindu devotee carries an idol of Ganesha for immersion in the Arabian sea on the second day of Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai. (Source: AP)

Devotees carry a clay idol of Lord Ganesha for the immersion in river Ganga in Kolkata. (Source: PTI)

A volunteer carries a clay made idol of god Ganesha for immersion in a pond during Ganesh Chaturthi festival celebrations in Bangalore. (Source: AP)

The festival marks the birthday of Lord Ganesha who is widely worshiped by Hindus as the god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune. (Source: AP)

Chanting ‘Ganpati Bappa Moriya, Mangal Murti Moriya’, devotees bid adiue to the god, hoping to welcome him again next year. (Source: AP)

Big idols are usually lifted by cranes, ensuring safety during the visarjan. (Source: AP)

Actor Jitendra along with his son Tusshar celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi at their residence in Mumbai. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

Actor Govinda along with his family offering puja to the Ganesh idol at his residence in Juhu. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

Actor Nana Patekar along with his ganpati at his residence in Matunga. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis celebrated Ganesh Chathurti along with his family at Varsha Bunglow in Mumbai. (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran).

Fadnavis had previously said he would instal an eco-friendly Ganesh idol made of clay at his residence. (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)

Harjinder Singh Kukreja, co-owner, Belfrance Bakers & Chocolatiers, Ludhiana said, "A team of three chefs including Chef Chaman and Haider have prepared this edible Ganpati from using rich couverture chocolates of Belgium. It weighs 40 kg and is completely edible." (Express photo by Divya Goyal)

The GSB Seva Mandal Ganesh idol that has been made with over 70kg of gold and nearly 450kg silver at King Circle in Mumbai. The mandal is celebrating having completed 62 years. According to the organisers, the idol is eco-friendly, made up of clay and durva. Water-soluble colours have also been used. The idol's 22-inch crown, both hands, the two feet, his trunk, both ears, the snake belt and severeal other articles have been made of pure gold. (Express Photo by Ganesh Shirsekar)

BJP National president Amit Shah with family at Lalbaugcha Raja on Wednesday. Express photo by Prashant Nadkar

Huge Ganesh idols being carried by Ganesh Mandals result in traffic jams on Kalyan-Dombivali road in Thane. (Express Photo by Deepak Joshi)

TV and film actress Tanaaz, her husband Bakhtiyar Irani, a Parsi film and TV actor, take home an idol of Lord Ganesha on the eve of Ganesh Chaturthi in Lalbaug, Mumbai. (Express Photo By-Ganesh Shirsekar)

Shilpa Shetty, Raj Kundra and their son Viaan take home idol of Lord Ganesha on the eve of Ganesh Chaturthi in Mumbai. (Express Photo by Ganesh Shirsekar)

A boy smiles as his family buys an idol of Lord Ganesha on the eve of Ganesh Chaturthi in Mumbai. (Express Photo by Ganesh Shirsekar)

A family in Mumbai carries an idol of Lord Ganesha to bring it to their home on the eve of Ganesha Chaturthi. (Express Photo by Ganesh Shirsekar)

An idol of Lord Ganesh on its way to be installed in Kurla as Ganesh Chaturthi begins on 5th September 2016 at Chinpokli. (Express photo by Ganesh Shirsekar)

Devotees transport an idol of Lord Ganesha on a vehicle ahead of Ganesh Chaturthi in Ahmedabad, India, on Saturday, September 3, 2016.(Source: AP)

Guwahati : Artisians busy giving finishing touches to a 28 feet tall idol of Lord Ganesha on the eve of Ganesh Chaturthi at Athgaon in Guwahati on Sunday. (source: PTI)

Jammu: A vendor sells Lord Ganesha idols at roadside on the eve of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Jammu on Sunday. (source: PTI)

Ganesh idols in the making for Ganesh Chaturthi at a workshop in Parel. (Express photo by Prashant Nadkar, Mumbai)

75-year-old Rajani Pandit has been embellishing Ganesh idols for last 50 years. She works on small idols depite her feeble eyesight. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

An idol of Lord Ganesha being transported on a rickshaw on the eve of Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Ahmadabad, India, on September 4, 2016. (source: AP)

After worshipping the idols in their homes or at worship venues, devotees immerse them in water bodies at the end of the festival. (source: AP)