The entire nation is all set to welcome Lord Ganesha at home and mark the beginning of the 10-day long Ganesh Chaturthi festival from Friday, August 25. While the festival is celebrated with much fervour across the country, the festive spirit will be altogether different in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
For the next 10-days, the city will be decked-up with lights and colours all around, beating of drums and Ganpati chants, but the main highlight will be the small and big Ganpati pandals with different themes and queues outside these pandals. Millions of devotees will visit these pandals across the city to get a glimpse of the God.
So, if you are planning to visit pandals in Mumbai, here are the top 10 that should be on your list.
Lalbaugcha Raja
Lalbaugcha Raja, founded in 1934, is Mumbai's most famous Ganpati pandal. The Ganesh pandal is located in Lalbaug market, GD Goenka Road, Lalbaug near Lower Parel. Lalbaugcha Raja is known for fulfilling all the wishes. Lakhs of devotees, including foreigners and Bollywood celebs like Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan, stand in queues for hours just to catch one glimpse of the idol.
This year, the Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh Utsav will be inaugurated on August 25 at 4 am, according to the official website. The best time to visit Lalbaugcha Raja is in the afternoon.
Mumbaicha Raja – Lalbaug Sarvajanik Utsav Mandal, Ganesh Galli
Mumbaicha Raja is the oldest mandal in Lalbaug and is located near Lalbaugcha Raja pandal. This year Mumbaicha Raja will celebrate 90th year with a theme of the Shripuram temple at Vellore, in Tamil Nadu.
The best time to visit Mumbaicha Raja is in the afternoon.
Andhericha Raja
In Mumbai suburbs, Andhericha Raja has the same popularity what Lalbaugcha Raja has in South Mumbai. The workers of Golden Tobacco Company, Tata Special Steel and Excel Industries Ltd. had founded the pandal in 1966 and since then, it has remained one of the top pandals in Mumbai.
This year, the theme is inspired from Bhalleshwar Mandir, a popular Ashtavinayak temple in Pali, Maharashtra. The pandal is located at Veera Desai Road in Andheri. The queues are extremely long in the evening, so one can visit during the daytime.
Chinchpoklicha Raja also known as Chintamani Ganpati
Chinchpoklicha Raja is one of the oldest Ganesh pandals in Mumbai and is organised by Chinchpokli Sarvajanik Utsav Mandal. This year, Chinchpoklicha Raja is celebrating its 98th year with a theme inspired from blockbuster movie Baahubali: The Conclusion.
The pandal is located near Chinchpokli station in central Mumbai. Best time to visit this pandal is from morning 10 am to evening 4 pm.
Dongricha Raja
Dongricha Raja located near Ganesh Chowk, Dr Maisheri Marg in Dongri is another famous pandal in Mumbai. It will be celebrating its 79th year in 2017 with a theme dedicated to Indian Army.
"This year, the Ganesh idol will be seated like a Raje Shahi. The theme of the Pandal will be a tribute to Indian Army. And the fund that will be collected from this festival will be donated to the Indian military. In the mandals, all the banners and the decoration will be based on Indian Army," The Free Press Journal quoted Naresh Tondwalkar of the mandal as saying.
To visit Dongricha Raja, you can go to Sandhurst Road station.
Goud Saraswat Brahmin (GSB) Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samiti in King's Circle
GSB Sewa Mandal in King's Circle, Matunga, is the richest mandal in Mumbai. The mandal has got an insurance of Rs 100 crore because of its "Gold Ganesh." This Ganesh idol is kept only for five days.
"The madal decoration is based on GSB ganpati 'mukut'. The mandal has an overall area of 80,000 sq feet, which is the largest in the world and is decorated with lights and flowers. Our Ganesh idol is eco-friendly and the mandal celebrates the five-day festival with discipline and in a traditional way," The Free Press Journal quoted Ulhas Kamat, the president of the Mandal, as saying.
The best time to visit this place is from 6 am to 11 pm.
Shree Ganesh Utsav Mandal, Wadalacha Raja, Wadala
Shree Ganesh Utsav Mandal, popularly called Wadalacha Raja, is a 10-feet idol covered in gold and silver. It is one of the few traditional mandals in Mumbai. This year, the organisers are spending money on the installation of 225 closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras.
Every year, the pandal sees lakhs of devotees, who donate lakhs of rupees. "Our idol is enough to spread the love and message it wants, we feel. We believe in a traditional way of celebrating and try to make it joyous rather than making it entertaining," Hindustan Times quoted Rajiv Rasal, a member of the trust, as saying.
