Actress Bhagyashree’s Ganpati aarti sparks dispute within Sangli’s royal family

PUNE: A traditional Ganpati aarti performed by actress Bhagyashree at the Shri Ganapati Panchayatan Sansthan in Sangli on Monday has triggered a dispute over the religious traditions followed by the institution

PUNE: A traditional Ganpati aarti performed by actress Bhagyashree at the Shri Ganapati Panchayatan Sansthan in Sangli on Monday has triggered a dispute over the religious traditions followed by the institution.

Bhagyashree and her husband, Himalaya Dasani, performed the aarti of the diety on the first day of the Ganesh festival celebrations. The ritual was conducted before the arrival of Vijaysinhraje Patwardhan, father of Bhagyashree, who is associated with the erstwhile royal family and has traditionally been involved in the institution’s religious rituals.

The development reportedly upset Patwardhan, who questioned why the aarti was performed in his absence and said the institution’s age-old traditions should not be altered.

“The tradition is to conduct the worship of the Ganpati idol in the presence of members of the royal family. I do not know who took the decision to conduct the aarti in my absence. Whatever the reason, the tradition of the institution should not be changed,” Patwardhan told reporters.

Rajlakshmiraje Patwardhan, mother of Bhagyashree, defended the family’s role in preserving the institution’s rituals, saying they had adopted Adityaraje Patwardhan as their son and legal heir.

The couple has three daughters — Bhagyashree, Madhuvanti and Purnima.

“We have adopted Adityaraje, and he is our only legal heir. He is capable of carrying forward our Sansthan’s rituals and traditions,” Rajlakshmiraje said.

Bhagyashree, however, said she had attended the puja because of Vijaysinhraje’s health issues and in keeping with the family’s tradition.

“After many years, I have visited Sangli. ‘Rajesaheb’ is facing health issues and, as per our tradition, at least one of the three sisters needs to visit Sangli. I have grown up with the blessings of Lord Ganesha at the Sangli Sansthan. Hence, this year, I decided to visit Sangli on Chaturthi,” she said.

The Shri Ganapati Panchayatan Sansthan was established by the Patwardhan royal family and is associated with the religious traditions of Sangli. The dispute centres on the customary role of members of the family in performing key rituals during the annual Ganesh festival.

The issue also has a history of differences within the family. A few years ago, Vijaysinhraje had entrusted the management of the Sansthan to Dasani. He later withdrew the administrative powers, alleging that Dasani had sold Sansthan properties without authorisation. Dasani denied the allegations.

Following the dispute, Dasani stopped visiting Sangli during the Ganesh festival, and Bhagyashree subsequently stopped attending the celebrations as well.

The temple management has maintained that its objective is to conduct religious and cultural programmes properly while preserving the Sansthan’s traditions.

The latest dispute has once again brought attention to the question of who should perform key rituals at the historic institution and how its traditional practices should be followed during the Ganesh festival.