Mumbai bid goodbye to Lord Ganesha on Saturday with prayers of 'pudcha varshi laukar ya' (come back soon). A mandal in Andheri West, however, will immerse its Ganesha on Thursday afternoon, a day after Sankashti Chaturdashi on Wednesday, following a tradition that has roots in an industrial dispute.
Sankashti means the end of obstacles, and the day is dedicated to Lord Ganesha, the remover of obstacles. Sankashti Chaturdashi is the fourth day of the dark or waning fortnight in the Hindu month.
Andhericharaja at Azad Nagar |
Andhericharaja at Azad Nagar |
Significance of Sankashti Chaturdashi
The Andhericharaja at Azad Nagar, Veera Desai Road, established by industrial workers in 1975, celebrated its 60th anniversary this year. The pandal was started by residents of Azad Nagar, a colony that housed workers from companies such as Golden Tobacco, Tata Steel, and Excel Industries. Uday Salian, spokesperson for the Azad Nagar Sarvajanik Utsav Samiti, said that an industrial dispute in a subsequent year delayed the immersion. The ceremony was shifted to the next sankashti day, an auspicious time to worship Lord Ganesha.
Cultural Significance
The tradition is that the deity leaves the pandal on Wednesday evening and takes 18 to 19 hours to travel from Azad Nagar to the Versova jetty, a distance of around three and a half km. "This is because the procession, accompanied by groups singing bhajans, makes stops at J P Road, Amboli Ceaser Road, S V Road, Navrang cinema, Indian Oil Nagar, Four Bungalows, and Seven Bungalows, where people offer naivedya. Devotees wait all night to shower flower petals. The Koli community in Versova Koliwada takes part in the ceremony," said Salian.
The nine-foot-tall idol is immersed in the sea around noon the next day. This year, the pandal has recreated a model of the Shri Kashtabhanjan Hanumanji temple in Sarangpur, Gujarat, India.
