How Karmakandi Brahmins from Ahmedabad, Vadodara have come to rescue of overworked Surat priests during Ganesh Chaturthi

Pandya is a Karmakandi Brahmin who specialises in performing sacred rituals on special occasions.

With Surat installing as many as 81,000 Lord Ganesh idols this year, the city was facing a shortage of Karmakandi Brahmins to help each pandal and household perform the pooja and rituals on the occasion. This is when Brahmins like Pandya, who live in different cities, stepped in.

“There are very few pandals of Lord Ganesh in Ahmedabad and its neighbouring districts. We were free, and after getting an invitation from Dewang Vyas of Surat, I came down with another 10 Karmakandi Brahmins from Ahmedabad. Each of us is handling over 12 to 15 pandals. We all work and live in a shared, rented accommodation. We get a satisfactory amount from the Ganesh mandals. We also carry out puja at individual houses in Surat,” says Pandya.

Vyas (43), a Karmakandi Brahmin from Surat city, is swamped these days. His clients not only include people from his city but also those from other districts and even countries such as Canada, the US, and the UK.

“Apart from tackling my international clients, I have taken a contract for 15 pandals in the city. For NRG (Non-resident Gujarati) clients, we perform pujas for three days. For local pandals, we conduct pujas regularly, from early morning to evening, daily. Our puja starts from Ganesh Sthapana (installation) day, when the puja is performed for 45 minutes. In the middle of the nine-day period, we conduct the Satyanarayan Katha, which lasts for one-and-a-half hours. Later, on the immersion day, we perform another puja, which lasts for half-an-hour.”

Other districts from where the priests have arrived in Surat include Anand, Vadodara and Saurashtra region.

With a population of around 10 lakh Marathis, Surat is second to only Mumbai in terms of the number of Lord Ganesh idols installed.

According to the Shree Ganesh Utsav Samithi, Surat, a record-breaking number of over 81,000 idols have been installed in the district this year, compared to 75,000 idols in 2024. Thus, there is a shortage of priests to serve all the idols.
Besides Maharashtrians, Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated with gusto by Surat’s local Surati community besides Saurashtrians, Punjabis, Sindhis, and Marwaris who have made the district their home over the years.

While many procure their idols from, besides Surat, neighbouring districts like Navsari, Valsad, Tapi and Bharuch, some also travel to Mumbai to get them.
Sources said hundreds of Karmakandi Brahmins, mostly relatives of Surat priests, have come from various districts in Gujarat to cater to the needs of pandals and individual homes.

Says Vyas, “My day starts at 4 am as I have to attend NRG customers for online puja. This goes on till 6am after which I leave my house at 7am, and start visiting pandals. This work is over by 2 pm. In the evening, our work resumes at 7pm and goes on till late in the night. We have to ensure strict time management, and for that, I have hired three people who work under me.”

Vyas adds, “There is a huge requirement of Karmakandi Brahmins in Surat during Ganesh Chaturthi, so I have called my friends and relatives from Ahmedabad and Vadodara, and they are independently handling 15 to 20 pandals each. Hundreds of Karmakandi Brahmins from different parts of the state have come down to Surat. They will stay for 10 days in a rented house or in a guesthouse, hotels, or accommodation provided by the pandal owners.”

Ahmedabad resident Pandya could not be happier. “This is for the first time I have come to Surat and have witnessed a great opportunity. Next year onwards, I will bring more people from Ahmedabad and its nearby districts to Surat.”