Famous Puja Pandals of Ganesh Chaturthi

Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated with a lot of fanfare in the states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Goa. The Hindus celebrate this festival with equal passion and ardour in the United States, Mauritius, Nepal, China and so on. Lord Ganesh is considered to be the deity of supreme, spiritual knowledge and the destroyer of obstacles and evil. A ten day festival is held to celebrate the birth of this elephant headed Godin the Bhadra month (mid-August to mid-September) according to the Hindu calendar.

The preparation of this extravagant festival commences a few months prior to its celebration, especially in Mumbai. The sound of stotras, slokas, mantras, devotional songs, drumbeats and the chanting of “Ganapati Bappa Morya” reverberates at every nook and corner of the Mumbai city during the ten days of the festival. Dances and theatrical performances, chaotic queues of enthusiastic pandal hoppers, amazing, captivating pandals, mouth-watering delicacies especially modak adds to the zeal of the festive mood. Mumbai flaunts some of the famous puja pandals of Ganesh Chaturthi.

• GSB Seva Mandal Ganpati (King Circle): This is certainly the richest Ganapati pandal in the world as 60 kg of gold and 175 kg of silver is used to adorn this idol.
• Lalbaugcha Raja: The second most popular and visited pandal of Mumbai is Lalbaugcha Raja which displays exquisite artistry and craftsmanship.
• Khetwadi Lane (Gali) 11 Ganpati: This pandal is eminent for the remarkable display of artisanship of the craftsman. This mandap boasts of the outstanding creativity exhibited by the idols of this pandal. In the year 2014, the idol was half of Lord Ganesh and the other half depicted his father, Lord Shiva. Thus it is worth watching the expertise displayed by the adroit artists.
• “Mumbaicha Raja” Lalbaug Ganesh Galli: Yet another spectacular pandal is that of Mumbaicha Raja. This pandal is renowned for the outstanding themes it displays. In the year 2014, this mandap depicted the famous Jejuri temple of Pune.
• Andhericha Raja: This is another captivating pandal, renowned for its remarkable display of amazing themes. Established in the year 1966, this pandal is widely known for fulfilling wishes. Hence it is a very popular pandal visited by millions during the festival time.
• Chinchpokli Cha Chintamani Ganpati: This pandal also brags of housing one of the remarkable Ganapati idols in Mumbai. It is among the oldest mandap, established in the year of 1920.
• Kamatipuracha Chintamani Ganesh: This is another pandal of Mumbai, famous for its brilliant themed idols. Outstanding, bold depiction of unique themes puts this pandal among the most famous puja pandals of Ganesh Chaturthi in Mumbai.
• Tulsiwadi Cha Maharaja (Tardeo) Ganesh: Ace quality of craftsmanship displaying distinctive, extraordinary themes like the Lord astraddle on five horses, makes this pandal unique and among the most famous idols of Mumbai. This is also among the old pandals established in the year 1939.
• Dongri Cha Raja: Another old pandal, set up in the year 1999 is reckoned as among the famous puja pandals of Ganesh Chaturthi festival.
• Chandanwadi (Chira Bazaar) Ganpati: Chandanwadi Ganapati mandap is also famous for its exclusive idols. The expertise of the artisans made this idol the best in the year 2014.

Playing a second fiddle to Mumbai, Hyderbad also boasts of its remarkable artistry displayed by some famous puja pandals of Ganesh Chaturthi. Some noteworthy pandals of Hyderabad are:

• Khiratabad Ganesh Utsav Samiti- This is among the famous Ganapati mandaps in Hyderabad. It celebrated 61 years of Ganesh Chaturthi in 2015 when it featured a 59 feet tall idol of “Trishaktimaya Moksha Ganapati.”
• Balapur Ganesh Utsava Samiti Ganapati-It is referred to as Aadi Ganapati or the leading Ganapati for the immersion ceremony in Hyderabad.

Ganesh Chaturhi is a nationwide celebration in India but the state which celebrates this festival with the greatest vigour and pomp is Maharashtra. As a result it displays some of the most iconic mandaps of Ganesh Chaturthi festival in India. Closely following Mumbai, Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh exhibits some famous puja pandals of Ganesh Chaturthi.