Steeped in faith and history

During the times of Lokmanya Tilak,who started the Ganeshotsav,the Ganapati immersion procession became a matter of privilege for the mandals and a dispute arose about which of the mandals should lead the immersion procession.

Tilak resolved the dispute by granting the privilege to Kasba Ganapati as it was not only the local deity but also the most ancient deity in Pune. To this day,the Kasba Ganpati Mandal leads the immersion procession to the banks of river Mula with great fanfare.

The immersion procession concludes at the banks of the river Mula near the Alka Talkies chowk.

The immersion procession of the five Ganapatis,known as the manache Ganapati is a visual treat in itself.

THE PANTHEON OF FIVE
*The Kasba Ganapati immersion procession is unique in many ways. Shri Kasba Ganapati is the first Ganapati to be immersed in the city. The Mayor along with the Commissioner of Pune offer prayers to the idol of Lord Ganapati after which the immersion process of Lord Ganesh starts in the city and continues for more than 24 hours. The mandal dissuades the use of gulal as it is hazardous to health.
* The Tambadi Jogeshwari Ganapati comes second after Kasba Ganapati. This is amongst one of the Ganapatis that Tilak had started for the cause of social uprisement. Now the mandal is 107 years old. The idol of this Ganapati is unique that resembles the elephants of Africa and is always kept in a silver palkhi.
* The Guruji Taalim Mandal established in1887 is the third manacha Ganapati. This was the first mandal in Pune to celebrate its 100 years even before Tilak started Ganesh festival for social awakening.
* The Tulshibaug Ganpati was installed in 1901. As Tulshibaug was the biggest market place in Pune at that time,traders from various places used to come here. It was thought that the message of independence movement could be spread b\y word of mouth through these traders at that time. This was the first mandal to present a moving tableau way back in 1952.
* The Kesari Wada Ganapati is the fifth Ganapati of honour in Pune. Lokmanya Tilak had established the idol of Ganesh for this mandal in the year 1893.

Some other Ganapatis to visit:
* Srimant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati is believed to be the Ganapati that fulfills all wishes,and there is a huge demand for coconuts for this Ganapati. The temple trust has installed a conveyer belt to carry coconuts and coconut torans offered by the devotees to the Lord Ganapati.
* Akhil Mandai Mandal is actively involved in several social welfare activities. The mandal uses its funds to reach out to the needy,poor and deserving kids. The mandal also felicitates the workers with a reward for taking care of the cleanliness part during the entire festival.The mandal also host ‘Roja Iftaar party’ and celebrate it with great respect.