"Ganapati Bappa Morya, Pudhachya Varshi Laukar ya" (O lord Ganesha, come again early next year) -2012 - cookingwithgaurav

“Ganapati Bappa Morya, Pudhachya Varshi Laukar ya” (O lord Ganesha, come again early next year)

Hello everyone..Yes the fervour has died down.. all the offerings auctioned to help the charities.. We would still like you to have a glimpse of few of aamchi Mumbaicha favorite Ganpati Pandals

We were fortunate to visit Lalbaugcha Raja,Mumbai cha Raja and Tekujayacha Raja on the 5th day of the Ganeshotsav Festival 2012

Travel:It took us around an hour to reach Lalbaug, to visit the Magnificient Mandals..

Mumbaicha Raja

We first headed to Mumbaicha Raja,@Ganesh gully..

This year Mumbaicha Raja was welcomed wholeheartedly by one and all, with Shiva & Nandi.

Serpentine queues of men, women & children waited to get a glimpse of the benevolent Ganesha

Set amidst the backdrop of all the Jyotirlingas.. Ganesha stood tall and strong as though

reminding us of the playful child in his father’s backyard.

Thousands thronging to his sight,the magnificient Ganesha seemed surreal and enchanting.

Somehow it made us believe we may be a crowd for each other,but He was here to hear all of us.

Among us , some offering silent prayers,while a others, flower & coconuts ,
we could see people from all walks of life standing as one peaceful and patient…

We thank the artisans & the security personnel in our hearts for doing such a fabulous job

for keeping our faith that everything stands right in the world and all our hopes alive..

For it was not an idol.. Mumbai’s favorite God had arrived…

Lalbaug cha Raja

We then walked down to Byculla ,2 kms from Mumbai cha raja to enter the Mukh darshan queue of one of the most revered Ganapati mandal..

Yes the one and only…Lalbaug cha Raja..(since 1934)

The stage was set and Lord had arrived,seated amidst the tall skyscrapers and closed down mills.. we could feel both the nostalgia as well as the theory of the survival of d fittest , in the air..

Perhaps to reckon to us that time changes,and so does, man’s priorities..

All that remains constant is an undying faith in the Lord.

We the Mango people of Mumbai city who hardly stop a minute to live stood patiently in the long queues to catch the glimpse of our Beloved Ganesha.The signboards guiding us duly,the security personnel watching us fully as we walked to enter the pandal to see magnificient Lalbaugcha Raja.

For those who of you who still await a chance to see him,there are 2 queues for Lalbaug-
1. Navaschi( Mannat queue) where you can touch the idol and seek few mins in his awesome presence.
2. Mukhdarshan, where the Lord is at a distance,but you are still in his watchful gaze.
For more details -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lalbaug

Thousands of throng to see him,from politics to Bollywood to the local newspaper boy, he is perhaps the most famous icon of all of us who dream,hope and are alive.

You don’t have to be super rich to get an access to him, you can walk into his Durbaar always.,

The sheer look at his magnificence,makes you forget both your troubles,& your pain of walking all the way.

He won’t ever differentiate,just bless you from wherever you shall seek him.
You shall receive and his name shall always make you smile.
When we came out of Lalbaug..we had walked from Byculla to Lalbaug nearly 4 kms both awestruck as well as thankful for this beautiful life.
Tejukayacha raja
We then move across to Tejukayacha raja who stands opposite to Lalbaug’s entrance.
We enter the mandal which almost resembles a green room to a theatre. Standing amongst the hustle bustle is the diety dressed as musician
Yes,Ganesha is a musician here..making us wonder how the world always dances to his tunes,
yet in our egoes,we hardly realize what his prowess is

So apt, this mandal was declared Mumbaicha Raja in the competition this year 2012.

Hope you enjoyed our tribute to the favorite god of Mumbai & I bid him farewell for our eyes.

PS: He may not be visible to us in a pandal, as we shall have to wait till Ganeshotsav 2013 for that
He is watching all of us, all the day and throughout the night..
He will walk you through your joys and hold you when in pain..
Trust him with your problems and he will bless you with every gain..

Just a prayer will take you close to him,humble request pls get an eco-friendly Ganesha next year!

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