06 August,2014 12:01 PM IST | | Varun Singh
The garland, donated by a devotee to the Gaud Saraswat Brahmin (GSB) Mandal in Matunga, is made of 2.5 kg gold and 12 kg silver, costing Rs 75 lakh and Rs 7 lakh respectively
The word recession has no place in the devotee's dictionary and, as Ganeshotsav approaches, iconic mandals in the city are getting ample proof of this. This year, the Gaud Saraswat Brahmin (GSB) Mandal has received a garland worth Rs 96 lakh. The garland has been wrought with 2.5 kg of gold, and 12 kg of silver, costing Rs 75 lakh and Rs 7 lakh respectively.
The garland, which will be delivered to the Matunga mandal soon, is being crafted at Suvarna Jewellers in Udipi in the coastal region of Karnataka
Additional making charges take the price of the garland to Rs 96 lakh. Called Vaijayanti Mala, the garland stretches to 14 feet, if held from one end to the other. GSB Mandal in Mumbai is the richest Ganpati mandal in the city, with an idol covered in gold, which weighs more than 80 kg. The garland will adorn this idol during Ganeshotsav, which starts on August 29.
The garland, which will soon be delivered to the mandal, is still being crafted at Suvarna Jewellers in Udipi, in the coastal region of Karnataka. The ornament is a donation from a devotee, who wishes to remain anonymous, on the occasion of the mandal's 60th year celebrations.
Confirming the donation, Satish Nayak, senior trustee of the mandal, said, "The person who is donating the garland to us has one thing in common with us. As we mark our 60th year, his wife will also enter her 60th year. The garland is made of gold, and has a silver base. It has 16 small and 16 large Ganpatis carved on it and is seven feet long."
GSB Mandal is among the most visited mandals in the city but, unlike other big mandals, worships the idol for five days instead of 10. The mandal also has the highest insurance cover in the city, which exceeded R200 crore last year, and covered the gold ornaments, the pandal and the devotees. The mandal is in the process of finalising its insurance policy for the festival this year.
Over the five days that it celebrates Ganeshotsav, the mandal receives more than Rs 6-7 crore in cash, gold and silver donations from devotees.
