From Mysore Palace to Vrindavan, replicas galore at Ganpati mandals in Pune city this time

Akshay Kodare from the trust said, “Lord Ganesha is considered the initiator of all auspicious activities, while Lord Vishnu is considered the preserver of the universe. The “Vishnu Dham” stage, which represents the confluence of the two, shows unity of initiation and preservation. At the mandal, the various incarnations of Vishnu, his teachings, and his efforts for religion will be displayed. Thus, the devotees will not only get religious vision but also spiritual peace, inspiration, and a social message.”

The Babu Genu Ganpati Trust is creating a set based on the Mysore Palace built by the Wadiyar dynasty. Balasaheb Marne, president of the trust, said, “Every year we have been creating recreations of temples for many years. So this time, for a change, we chose the theme of Mysore Palace.” He added that the set would be completed by August 25.

The Tushlibaug Ganesh Mandal said that its theme was based on the holy city of Vrindavan. Providing details, Nitin Pandit from the trust said the set will be 150 feet long and 90 feet wide and will have over 30 peacocks. “For the past 3-4 years, we have been having themes of temples. We had Ujjain, Jagannath Puri, and now we are doing Vrindavan,” Pandit said.

The Kabsa Ganpati has decided on the Ballaleshwar Temple at Pali as their theme. “We are creating a replica of the Ballaleshwar temple in Pali. Another unique thing about our trust is that we will be providing information about government schemes, be it State or Central Government schemes. People are not aware of many of these themes. Therefore, this year we will be disseminating information about them,” said Akshay Dhere, vice-secretary of the trust.

Garud Ganpati, based in Narayan Peth, will be recreating the Konark Sun Temple. “We chose this theme as we do not have much representation of the temples from the east of India. Tamil Nadu is considered the land of temples, and we are also very attracted to the deities of the North. Chardham, Amarnath, etc, are very popular. But not the temples of the East,” Sunil Kunjir of the trust said.