12 September,2024 09:23 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Of the 3,320 idols immersed on Day 6 of Ganeshotsav 2024 festivities on Thursday, 600 are of Goddess Gauri. Pic/ASHISH RAJE
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday said that the immersion of the idols of Lord Ganpati and Goddess Gauri on Day 6 of the Ganeshotsav 2024 festivities was going on smoothly, and until 6 pm, a total of 3,320 idols had been immersed across various locations in the city.
Of the 3,320 idols immersed till 6 pm, 2,706 were Gharguti (household) idols, 10 were sarvjanik (public) idols and 600 were the idols of Goddess Gauri, the civic officials said.
Out of these, 1,426 idols were immersed in artificial lakes, which is an environmentally-friendly option, the officials said.
The immersion process so far went without any untoward incidents, BMC said.
The 10-day Ganeshotsav 2024 festivities began in Maharashtra on September 7, with idols of the Lord Ganesha being installed in homes and at public pandals across the state amid fanfare.
Several bus routes have been diverted owing to the immersions of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Gauri which are taking place on Day 6 of the Ganeshotsav 2024 festivities.
As the immersion process is going on at Bhandup Talao, the routes of buses 545 (Agarkar Chowk in Andheri East-Airoli bus station) and 453 (Wadala Depot-Lokmanya Nagar in Thane) have been diverted via Veer Savarkar Marg from 7 pm.
Idol immersions are also taking place at Basant Park, owing to which the routes of buses 21 (Trombay-Dr Shyamaprasad Mukherjee Chowk/Museum), 399 (Trombay-Marathon Chowk in Thane), 369 (Kurla Railway Station-Vashi Naka MMRDA Colony), 351 (Mumbai Central Depot-Tata Power Station in Chembur), 356 (Santacruz-Tata Power Station in Chembur) are diverted towards DN direction via Chembur Naka from 7.45 pm.
An artist from Mumbai's Santacruz has created a Ganpati idol in the 'Ardhanari' form (half male, half female) to highlight the need for harmony between the two genders amid the rising crimes against women. There is another interesting feature about the idol created by Rintu Rathod: it has been sculpted from chocolate.
Rathod said she used 20 kg of dark chocolate and 10 kg of white chocolate to create the 25-inch-tall idol in the 'Ardhanari' form, which is installed at her Santacruz home. She specialises in creating idols from chocolates.
"This form of Ganpati is particularly significant in Hinduism. It emphasises the idea that male and female principles are essential and complementary to each other, promoting harmony and balance in the universe," she said.
An 'Ardhanari' idol of a 12-armed Ganesha is installed in an 800-year-old temple in Goregaon in Maharashtra's Raigad district, said Rathod.
(With PTI inputs)
