Ganesh Chaturthi 2017: Stunning photos of GANPATI VISARJAN across India

At the end of the 10-day Ganesh Chaturthi, devotees immerse the idols of their god in the river/pond/sea as a way of saying goodbye for another year. Once the idol is brought home or into a pandal, depending on the particular rituals followed by the community/family, the idols are immersed into the water, starting from the second day of the festival.

Updated: September 6, 2017 18:40 IST

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Ganesh Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chaturthi is a 10-day-festival celebrated to mark the birth of the god, Ganesha, son of Goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva. This year, it started on August 25. The elephant-headed god is celebrated as the deity of all beginnings and is worshiped at the start of any ritual or ceremony as he is known to ward off evil, remove obstacles and bring prosperity. This popularity of the festival brings together people of all class, caste and religion celebrating Ganesha’s birth. Celebrated mainly in the western Indian region of Maharashtra and Gujarat, many community groups and even individuals bring the idol home and worship him. After that, the idol is then immersed into the river/sea as a means of saying goodbye for another year. (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)

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Devotee offering prayers to the lord before the immersion at Girgaon Chowpatty. (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)

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Idols of lord Ganesha being taken for immersion. (Source: AP)

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Crowd gathers around Ganpati idol before immersion takes place at Chowpatty in Mumbai. (Express Photo By Pradip)

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A devotee makes a wish in the ears of the lord before the Ganapati Immersion at Mhad Marve, Mumbai. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

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Devotees taking the idol of Lord Ganesha for Immersion. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

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Rituals being performed before the immersion of Ganapati at Mhad Marve. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

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Ganpati Idol leaves its Pandal at Lalbaug for Immersion. ( Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)

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Preparing the idol of lord Ganapati before the final immersion. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

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Devotees crowd the Arabian Sea to watch a giant idol of Lord Ganesha being immersed in Mumbai. (Source: AP)

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A giant idol of Lord Ganesha being immersed in Hussain Sagar Lake on the final day of Ganesh Chaturthi in Hyderabad, India. (Source: AP)

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Devotees prepare to immerse the idol of Ganesha, marking the end of the 10-day long Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai. (Source: AP)

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Devotees gather on the banks of river Yamuna for the immersion of idols of Ganesha in New Delhi. (Source: AP)

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During the processions, devotees perform traditional dances and play ceremonial songs.(Express Photo by Arul Horizon)

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Celebration going on around the final immersion of the idol in Mumbai. (Source: AP)

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The festival is celebrated to mark the birth of Ganesha, the God of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune. (Express photo by Pradip Das)

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The ten-day festival of Ganeshotsav comes to a close today, marking which the immersion of the Ganpati idol will take place. (Express photo by Pradip Das)

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Guruji Talim mandal during ganapathi visarjan procession in progress at lakshmi road in Pune. (Express photos by Arul Horizon)

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The idol of Lord Ganesha gets carried by people for the immersion ceremony. (Express photos by Arul Horizon)

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Ganpati Visarjan is one of the biggest events in Maharashtra which is celebrated every year with great fervour. (Express Photo by Nirmal Harindran)

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Crowd awaits Mumbai's most famous Lalbaugcha Raja at Ganesh Gully in Lalbaug, Mumbai. (Express Photo by Nirmal Harindran)

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Ganapati visarjan procession in progress at Lakshmi road in Pune. (Express Photo by Arul Horizon)

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Devotees throng pandals during the Ganeshotsav and at the end of the festival, idols of Lord Ganesha are immersed in water. (Express Photo by Arul Horizon)

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Ganesha is celebrated as the god of all beginnings and is worshiped at the start of any ritual or ceremony as he is known to ward off evil, remove obstacles and bring prosperity. (Express Photo by Arul Horizon)

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The immersion marks the end of the festival as it is believed that with this immersion Ganesha is now believed to have merged with his deity parents Parvati and Shiva. (Express Photo by Arul Horizon)

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Ganpati Visarjan procession in progress at Lakshmi road in Pune. (Express Photo by Arul Horizon)

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The origin of the festival is blurry and has many versions. Many say that it started during the era of the Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji and has continued since then. (Express Photo by Arul Horizon)

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However, with time the enthusiasm faded. Then the famous freedom fighter Lokmanya Tilak brought the festival as we know it today. (Express Photo by Arul Horizon)

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Ganapathi visarjan procession in progress at lakshmi road in Pune. (Express Photo by Arul Horizon)

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People all across India, take Ganesh idols from their homes and immerse them in water. (Express Photo by Arul Horizon)

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Devotees carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, into the Bay of Bengal for its immersion during the ten-day-long Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Chennai, India. (Source: Reuters)

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Although the festival is most famous in Maharashtra, it is also celebrated across the country specially states like Karnataka. (Express Photo by Arul Horizon)

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Devotees carry Ganesha idols for immersion in the Arabian sea in Mumbai, India, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017. (Source: AP)

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A devotee carries an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it into the Arabian Sea in Mumbai, India, August 26, 2017. (Source: Reuters)

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Ganesh Idol immersion starts on the bank of river Gomti during Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Lucknow. (Source: Express photo by Vishal Srivastav)

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Depending on the family/group, the Ganesha idol is immersed on various days. Here we have a one-and-a-half day Ganpati Visarjan in progress at Versova beach in Mumbai suburb. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

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Immersion of lord Ganesha in river Hooghly in Kolkata. (Source: Express photo by Partha Paul)

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Not just in rivers or seas, idols are immersed in lakes and ponds too. Pictured here people participating in Ganpati visarjan in a fresh water lake in Kolkata. (Source: Express photo by Partha Paul)

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Before saying goodbye for a last time this year, special prayers and aarti is offered to the God. (Source: Express photo by Vishal Srivastav)

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After the aarti, the idol is taken from the shores to deeper spots and immersed.

Boatman carry out visarjan in Lucknow. (Source: Express photo by Vishal Srivastav)

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People doing aarti of Ganpati Bappa at Ganga ghat in Kolkata. (Source: Express photo by Partha Paul)

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Devotees carrying an idol of Lord Ganesha for immersion at a lake in Kolkata. (Source: Express photo by Partha Paul)

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A devotee carrying an idol of Lord Ganesha for immersion at River Ganga. (Source: PTI)

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A devotee carries an idol of Lord Ganesha for immersion in the sea during the Ganesh festival in Chennai on Sunday. (Source: PTI)

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Devotees carry an idol of Lord Ganesha for immersion in the sea during the Ganesh festival in Chennai on Sunday. (Source: PTI)

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A volunteer jumps to immerse an idol of Lord Ganesha in the river Sabarmati during Ganesh Chaturthi in Ahmadabad, on August 26.(Source: AP)

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Ganesh immersion in Ganesh Ghat, Kalyan Creek, Mumbai on Saturday. (Express Photo by Deepak Joshi)

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More shots of the Ganesh idol being immersed in the water at Versova Beach in Mumbai suburb on August 26. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

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More shots of the Ganesh idol being immersed in the water at Versova Beach in Mumbai suburb on August 26. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

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Ganesh immersion in Ganesh Ghat, Kalyan Creek, Mumbai on Saturday. (Express Photo by Deepak Joshi)

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Devotees dance as they carry an idol of Ganesha to immerse in an artificial pond near river Sabarmati during Ganesh Chaturthi in Ahmadabad, on August 26. (Source: AP)

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A volunteer carries idols of Ganesha on a makeshift raft to immerse in an artificial pond near the river Sabarmati in Ahmadabad, on August 26. (Source: AP)

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After a day-and-a-half of worship, devotees carry a Lord Ganesha idol for immersion at Dadar Chowpati in Mumbai on Saturday. (Source: PTI)

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A volunteer immerses an idol of Ganesha in the river Sabarmati in Ahmadabad, on August 26. (Source: AP)

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A Ganpati idol is ready for immersion during sunset at Sursagar lake in Vadodara on the occasion of Anant Chaturdashi. (Source: Express photo by Bhupendra Rana)