Days after Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray urged the Ganpati mandals in Mumbai to keep the height of the idols small, GSB Seva Mandal in Mumbai’s Kings Cricle has asked Maharashtra government to allow the installation of their 14 ft Gapati idol.
According to a report by Lok Satta, the mandal has said that a smaller idol would not accommodate the jewellery offered by devotees, which will be a discontinuation of an age-old tradition.
The GSB Seva Mandal in Mumbai’s King Circle is one of the oldest committees in the city, that has been organising Ganesh pandals every year for over six decades. With a massive idol of over 15 feet and adorned with gold and silver ornaments. Richest in the city, the mandal was founded by Goud Saraswat Brahmin community in 1954. Celebrations here are a little different than the thematic ones in the city.
Meanwhile, The Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh Mandal, which installs Mumbai''s most famous Ganpati idol, on Wednesday announced cancellation of the Ganesh Chaturthi celebration this year in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. The mandal will not install the Ganesh idol this year, Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal''s secretary Sudhir Salvi told reporters.
It will organise blood and plasma donation camps and provide financial assistance to the families of policemen who died of COVID-19, he said. The 10-day festival begins on "Ganesh Chaturthi", which falls on August 22 this year. Ganeshotsav is the most popular festival in Maharashtra. The pandals set up by various mandals in Mumbai and other places in the state attract thousands of devotees during the 10-day festivities.
