The immersion of the iconic Lalbaugcha Raja idol is now expected to take place around 11 pm on Sunday, after several delays caused by high tide and technical difficulties, officials said, reported the PTI.
Traditionally, the idol is immersed in the Arabian Sea off Chowpatty in south Mumbai`s Girgaon before 9 am. However, this year, the idol was shifted onto a raft only in the late afternoon, following repeated attempts earlier in the day.
The idol had reached Chowpatty over eight hours earlier, after a 28-hour-long grand procession that began from Lalbaug on Saturday afternoon.
According to officials, the team had to wait for the high tide to recede before proceeding with the immersion process.
“The idol was finally transferred from its platform onto a newly constructed raft at 4:45 pm, with assistance from hundreds of volunteers and local fishermen,” an official said, as per the PTI.
The move was met with loud cheers from thousands gathered at the site, as chants of “Lalbaugcha Rajacha Vijay Aso!”, “Hi Shaan Konachi? Lalbaugcha Rajachi!”, and “Ganpati Bappa Morya!” echoed across the beach.
Speaking to reporters, Sudhir Salavi, honorary secretary of the Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal, explained that the immersion procession had arrived 10 to 15 minutes later than planned, while the high tide had begun earlier than expected.
“We attempted the immersion earlier, but it wasn`t going smoothly. So we halted the process and waited. Local fishermen advised us that the raft would be stable enough during the next high tide, which is expected around 11 pm, so we will proceed then,” he said, according to the PTI.
Earlier in the day, the rising seawater caused instability, with the raft becoming unsteady as the water reached the waist level of the idol. This caused the platform beneath the idol to float unexpectedly, making it difficult to align it properly with the raft intended to carry it further into the sea.
For almost three hours, the idol stood in shallow water, as 15 to 20 volunteers and fishermen struggled to maintain its balance.
The immersion of Lalbaugcha Raja is among the most anticipated rituals during the 10-day Ganesh Chaturthi festival, attracting thousands of devotees each year. Many arrive at the beach from midnight onwards, hoping to witness the idol’s arrival by sunrise, after it traverses the jam-packed streets of central and south Mumbai in a procession of grandeur.
(with PTI inputs)
