The visarjan or immersion of the Lalbaugcha Raja – the idol of one of the oldest and most famous Ganpati mandals in Mumbai–was delayed by more than 12 hours on Sunday, breaking from the usual tradition.
Usually, the idol immersion into the Arabian Sea happens at most by 9 AM on the day after the Anant Chaturdashi. But this time, the Lalbaugcha Raja completed the journey at the Girgaon Chowpatty around 9 PM.
Why was the Lalbaugcha Raja Ganpati idol immersion delayed?
The Lalbaugcha Raja Ganpati idol immersion was delayed on Sunday due to the high tide and a technical snag.
The Ganpati idol was immersed at Girgaon Chowpatty late Sunday evening, more than 12 hours after its usual time. According to the officials, an earlier immersion was not possible this year due to a technical snag.
“By the time our procession reached the Chowpatty, high tide had already set in,” Sudhir Salavi, honorary secretary of the Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal, said.
{{/usCountry}}“By the time our procession reached the Chowpatty, high tide had already set in,” Sudhir Salavi, honorary secretary of the Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal, said.
{{/usCountry}}The Mandal volunteers revealed that the procession with the 18-feet-tall idol set off from Lalbaug around 12 PM on Saturday and reached Girgaon Chowpatty by around 8 AM on Sunday morning. But the high tide had already set in.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast, a 4.42-metre tide was expected at 11:40 AM on Sunday. Since high tides usually begin around six hours before the peak point, it had already set in by the time Lalbaugcha Raja reached the beach on Sunday morning, a civic official said.
“As a first step, we had to transfer the idol from the trolley onto the raft on which it would be taken into the sea. But the waist-deep waters made it difficult to load the idol onto the raft, despite many volunteers, including those from other mandals, helping us,” a volunteer explained.
Usually, a mechanised raft is used for the Lalbaugcha Raja Ganpati idol immersion. But this time, the Mandal decided to shift to an electrically operated raft. The idol was loaded onto the said raft at 4:45 PM, more than eight hours after reaching the Chowpatty. But the immersion happened another four hours later as volunteers found it difficult to negotiate the rough waters.
“It was difficult to secure the idol on the raft and balance it amidst the massive waves. We couldn’t move till the time it was safe for us to venture deep into the sea,” the volunteer quoted earlier said.
Finally, that time came around 9 PM. The idol was immersed in the sea, amid fervent chants of ‘Pudhchya varshi lavkar yaa (Come soon next year)’.