18 September,2023 07:22 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
GSB Seva Mandal`s Ganesha Idol/ Pic/X
Gowd Saraswat Brahaman (GSB) Seva Mandal, one of the popular Ganesh pandals of Mumbai, ahead of the festival has installed an idol of Lord Ganesha that has been adorned with 69kg of gold and 336 kg of silver on Monday. A representative of the GSB Seva Mandal told news agency ANI that this year, they received 36 kg of silver and a 250-gram gold pendant as donations for Ganesh Chaturthi and that this has increased gold in the idol to 69 kg and the silver to 336 kg.
The representative of the mandal was quoted by ANI as saying, "This year, we are going to celebrate the 69th 'Ganpati Utsav'. This year, the idol has been added with 36 kg of silver and a 250-gm gold pendant."
The representative further mentioned that a special âhavan' will be performed on September 19 and September 20. According to the report, the ritual which will be performed on September 19 is to thank lord Ganesha for the successful Chandrayaan-3 mission while the âhavan' that'll be performed next day is to pray and wish for the successful construction and inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
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Speaking to news agency ANI, the GSB Seva Mandal representative said, "On September 20, we will perform a special 'havan' for the smooth construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. On September 19, we will also hold a special 'havan' after the successful Chandrayaan-3 mission. We had prayed for a successful mission."
According to the representative's statement in the report, GSB Mandal has taken total insurance of Rs 360.45 crore including Rs 290 crore for visitors in the pandal, Rs 39 crore for the jewellery and Rs 20 crore for public liability.
He, elucidating on the security arrangements made this year, said, "As far as security is concerned, we are going for facial recognition this year. We have installed high-density cameras. Footfall will be counted."
Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated across Maharashtra with great pomp for 10 days. It is believed that during this time, Lord Ganesha descended on Earth with his mother Goddess Parvati. This year the festival begins on September 19 and will continue for 10 days until September 29.
