Covid effect: Mumbai Ka Raja to have 4-feet Ganesh idol

With Covid pandemic, this year’s Ganeshotsav celebrations are likely to attract lesser crowd in Maharashtra.

Mumbai’s famous organiser in Ganesh Galli on Tuesday decided to bring in four-feet idol instead of a larger than life, 22-feet idol.

“Mumbai ka Raja, also known as Ganesh Gaully Ganpati, decided to celebrate Ganeshotsav in a simple manner this year as per instruction given by the authorities,” said Swapnil Parab, Secretary, Mumbai ka Raja Mandal.

Keeping environment concerns in mind and to avoid long-route procession, the idol will be immersed in artificial pond instead of the Arabian Sea.

Ganesh Chaturthi, a ten-day festival which starts on the fourth day of Hindu luni-solar calendar month Bhadrapada, will start on August 22 this year.

The is celebrated is celebrated with much fanfare in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra with lakhs of devotees converging into mandals to seek blessing from Lord Ganesh.But this time, Maharashtra is one of the worst virus-affected states.

Till Monday, its capital, Mumbai reported 67,635 Covid-19 cases with 3,735 deaths. Meanwhile, the state has 1,35,796 confirmed cases and 6,283 deaths.