Lalbaugcha Raja idol immersed after 12-hr delay due to high tide

The Lalbaugcha Raja procession began from Lalbaug on the morning of Saturday, which marks Anant Chaturdashi, the concluding day of Ganesh festival.

After a 22-hour-long procession covering about 10 km, the idol reached Girgaon Chowpatty on Sunday morning, the next day as usual.
However the immersion could not take place immediately as usual.

As several attempts to immerse the idol failed, leaving the towering idol standing in 4–5 feet of water for hours.

Around 5 pm, the idol was finally moved onto the raft with the help of 15–20 volunteers and fishermen, prompting celebrations from devotees chanting “Ganpati Bappa Morya,” “Lalbaugcha Rajacha Vijay Aso”.

The immersion, finally, took place around 9 pm.

Sudhir Salvi, honorary secretary of the Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal, said, “The procession lasted about 23 hours and we arrived at Girgaon Chowpatty at 8:30 am on Sunday. The Arabian Sea’s conditions changed early morning because of heavy rain over the past three days. Our immersion process depends entirely on tides. We attempted to carry out the immersion initially, but the platform carrying it started floating and it was difficult to align it with the raft.”

“Local Koli community members had advised that the idol could be moved safely during the next high tide,” he added.

He further said, “Even though immersion is slightly delayed, we had planned everything carefully… The new mechanised raft ensures the idol can be immersed safely and in accordance with ritual.”

The delay drew political attention too by Sunday evening, with Deputy CM Eknath Shinde and Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray contacting the Mandal.

Members of the Koli community, traditionally associated with the immersion, expressed concern over the mechanised raft.

Earlier in the day, Hiralal Pandurang Wadkar, a local Koli community member, said, in a video released by him, “We, the Wadkar family members, have been performing Lalbaugcha Raja’s immersion for generations. Today, it has still not been completed because the Mandal gave the contract to the raft from Gujarat. In future, the Mandal should take care that the visarjan take place on time.”

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