Extended Ganeshotsav For Mandals As Bappa Stays ‘Home' For Almost 25 Days

Nagpur: Ganeshotsav officially begins on Sept 14 this year, but 'Bappa' has already started arriving at many mandals across Nagpur. With sarvajanik mandals advancing 'Bappa aagman' to beat traffic and other logistic issues, and others scheduling 'visarjan' days after Anant Chaturdashi, the 10-day festival is now stretching to almost 25 days. 'Aagman' celebrations in the city began by Sept 1, exactly two weeks ahead of Ganesh Chaturthi, with Sadar Cha Mahaganpati among the early arrivals. Herambh Ganesh Utsav Mandal welcomed its Bappa on Sept 6, while Dakshinamurti Ganeshotsav in Mahal — one of the city's oldest celebrations — celebrated 'Bappa aagman' on Monday. The Dakshinamurti pandal this year is themed around Alandi Temple and Sant Dnyaneshwar. For organisers, the early welcome is increasingly a logistical necessity. Harshal Upgade of Herambh Ganesh Utsav Mandal said the rush at Chitar Oli often turns chaotic as several mandals arrive simultaneously to collect their idols. "There are traffic jams and it becomes difficult to move, particularly as idols are getting bigger. That is why we decided to bring our Ganpati earlier. This time, though, we made the idol near the place of 'sthapana' itself. But to retain the tradition and spirit of 'aagman', we took Bappa out for a round before bringing him back to the pandal," he said. For Pratap Nagarcha Mahaganpati, installed by Pratham Foundation, the shift began three years ago. Scheduling 'aagman' on a holiday also allows more mandal members to participate and the procession to be organised on a larger scale, he added. The pran pratishtha, however, will take place only on Sept 14. The traditional farewell goes, "Pudhchya varshi lavkar ya." This year, Bappa seems to have taken it literally. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Nagpur | Silver Rate in Nagpur | Bank Holidays in Nagpur | Public Holidays in Nagpur | Petrol Price in Nagpur | Diesel Price in Nagpur | CNG Price in Nagpur | LPG Price in Nagpur Stay updated with the latest Nagpur news. Download the TOI App.