Pune’s Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati has finally been seated in the procession chariot, as the immersion procession begins.
Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati, a prominent and wealthy Hindu temple in Pune and was founded in 1893 by Dagdusheth Halwai, a sweet seller, to honour his family's spiritual traditions and serve the community after losing his son to a plague epidemic.
Today, the temple is a major pilgrimage site, a cultural landmark, and is involved in various social welfare activities through the Dagdusheth Halwai Sarvajanik Ganpati Trust.
Recently, a replica temple of Dagadusheth Ganpati Temple was inaugurated opposite Rawai Beach on the southernmost tip of Phuket Island. It will be offering spiritual experience to devotees in Thailand, and will give a glimpse of Pune's over 130-year-old temple.
Every year, the stretch from Shaniwar Wada to Buddhwarpeth is filled with devotees going frenzy to see a glimpse of the most revered Ganapti of Pune, Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapti. This year, Mandal was modelled on the lines of the Shree Padmanabhaswamy Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu in Kerala.
The Dravidian Temple architecture with a five-tiered Vimana has sculpted figures of Vishnu resting on Sheshnaga and over 500 figures. The crowd at the mandapam, shouting to 'Ganapati Bappa Moraya', one gets immersed in the religious fervour of the 10-day festival of Pune.
Meanwhile, the Immersion processions of Ganesh idols began in Pune with the first 'Manacha' (eminent and revered) idol of Kasba Ganesh mandal on Anant Chaturdashi, the final day of the 10-day festival.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol, and Minister Chandrakant Patil participated in the procession of Kasba Ganpati that began in the morning amid sounds of 'dhol tasha'.
Pune Police had issued a detailed timetable for the immersion procession and urged mandals of all five 'Manache Ganpati' idols to start their processions early to ensure they end in time and do not stretch to the next day.
