The festival of Ganesh Chaturthi can be traced to the time of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Pune. Lord Ganesha was also one of the gods worshipped by the Peshwa clan, who continue to do so till today. The Indian freedom fighter Lokmanya Tilak, who praised the festival in his weekly newspaper, Kesari, went on to popularise it in its present form by organising it every year in Maharashtra. The tradition was carried on by different people across the state including Mumbai. Photo: Mid-day/Bipin Kokate

Every year, lakhs of Mumbaikars celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi. The Juhu Beach is one of the most popular spots to watch the visarjan (immersion) of the Ganpati idols, which is carried out with pomp mainly on the 10th day of the festival. Devotees and passersby in the city haven’t been able to experience this sight for the last two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo: AFP

Juhu Beach may be one of the most popular locations in the city to watch idols of Ganesha being immersed every year but Girgaum Chowpatty is not far behind. Located near Marine Drive, it sees thousands of immersions every year including that of 'Lalbaugcha Raja', one of the most popular Ganesh idols in the city. Photo: Mid-day/file pic

If one visits Mumbai during Ganesh Chaturthi, visiting Lalbaugcha Raja’s pandal is a must because it exudes the true festive spirit of the city. Devotees from all over come to pay their respects to the Ganpati idol of the Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal. It is now over 88 years old. The towering idol is at least 14 feet but this year it will be only 4 feet, according to government norms. Its reputation of granting wishes means that it took anywhere between 5 to 40 hours for devotees to get darshan during pre-pandemic times. Photo: Mid-day/file pic

The Andhericha Raja is a Ganpati mandal started by the Azad Nagar Sarvajanik Utsav Samiti in 1966 by Tukaram Salaskar, MK Menon and Vasudev Kasalkar among others. It has been successfully running since then and is frequented by many Bollywood celebrities apart from the regular crowds during the 10 days of Ganeshotsav. Photo: Mid-day/file pic

Known to be one of the richest in the city, the Goud Saraswat Brahmin (GSB) Ganpati mandal idol is adorned with silver and gold jewellery every year. Organised by the GSB Seva Mandal, a non-profit organisation, the celebrations are already in their 67th year and will be conducted with a four-foot idol for five days. Photo: Mid-day/file pic