Jaibolo Ganesh Maharaj Ki Jai! Ganapati Bappa Moriya..! Jai Jai Ganesha.. Bye Bye Ganesha..! While the devotees were chanting slogans, clapping their hands and saying goodbye with devotion, the Bojja Ganapayya immersion processions in Greater Hyderabad was carried out in a grand manner to the lap of Gangamma, a feast for the eyes.
Lakhs of devotees participated in this procession and the lambodara, who received the first puja in the world, was taken to Hussain Sagar. Vinayaka immersions are continuing for the second day in Hyderabad on Sunday too. Ganesh idols are lined up at Hussain Sagar and Saroornagar tanks. Ganesh immersions are likely to continue till afternoon.
Ganpati idols from all over the city were lined up for immersion at Tank Bund, NTR Ghat, PV Marg and Secretariat areas. The procession of Ganesha idols from Khairatabad and Balapur, which took place across the city, reached Hussain Sagar. The immersion of the Khairatabad Mahaganpati idol was completed at 1.45 pm on Saturday.
According to official sources, more than 2.6 lakh idols have reached Tank Bund by Sunday morning. The GHMC, police, electricity, water department, collector, HMDA, road buildings and medical departments have taken strict measures to ensure that the devotees do not face any difficulties during this procession.
A large number of people came to watch the Khairatabad Ganesha immersion program, which is famous in the Telugu states, in large numbers. On Friday, after 12 midnight, the priests performed the last Kalasha Puja to Ganapati. On Saturday morning, the 69-foot-tall, 50-ton idol of Ganesha was placed on a huge tusker with 26 wheels, 75 feet long and 11 feet wide.
The Khairatabad Ganesha procession began with traditional melathalams and the Maha Ganapati immersion was completed at 1.45 am. This year, the procession covered a distance of about 2.5 kilometers. Ganesh immersion took place peacefully across the state on Saturday. Authorities made elaborate arrangements everywhere. Vinayaka immersions were conducted in local ponds and streams.
In Hyderabad, immersion continued in 74 artificial ponds including Hussain Sagar and other ponds. The shores of Hussain Sagar became crowded. Drinking water, Pulihora, Pongal, Puri and Guggil were distributed to devotees along the procession routes. Before the immersion of the Nivaram, the auction of laddu prasad was fierce in many places in the Vinayaka mantapals. The famous Balapur Ganesh laddu prasad (21 kg) was won by Karmanghat BJP leader Lingala Dasharath Goud for Rs. 35 lakh.