Manache Ganpati all set for festivities

Manache Ganpati all set for festivities

PUNE: The 125th Ganeshotsav in the city is set to start with a bang on Friday, with the five ‘Manache Ganpati’ inaugurating the festival with their traditional processions and dhol-tasha pathaks.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will  be present in the city on Friday evening to attend several programmes organised by the Manache Ganapati mandals and the Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Mandal.

The first of the Manache Ganpati, Kasba Ganpati, would start the procession from their pandal at 8.30 am. 

The idol will be consecrated by Sambhajirao Bhide Guruji at 11.58 am. Fadnavis will release a souvenir to be published in the evening. The mandal’s procession will have a lezim pathak, along with the Adimaya Dhol-Tasha Pathak and Prabhat Brass Band.

The Tambdi Jogeshwari Ganpati Mandal will start its procession at 10 am from Kanyashala with ‘nagaravadan’, accompanied by the Shivgarjana and Taalpathak. The idol will be taken around in a silver palanquin.

The Guruji Talim Mandal members have contributed to make a silver palanquin (palkhi) weighing 25 kgs for Ganesha. The idol will be consecrated at 12.45 pm by entrepreneur Suken Shaha and Anjali Shaha. A Ganesh idol made of panchadhatu (an alloy made of five metals) and the silver paduka will be unveiled by Fadnavis. 

Actor Arjun Rampal will be part of the procession.

The Tulshibaug Ganesh Mandal will also start its procession at 10 am with four major dhol-tasha pathaks. The idol would be installed at 12.30 pm. 

The installation of Kesariwada Ganpati idol will take place by 10 am. Then, a procession will start from Ramanbaug Chowk. The mandal  will have cultural and public awareness programmes in the evening.

The chief minister will be visiting all five ‘Manache Ganpati’ in the evening for darshan.

HISTORY BEHIND FIVE ‘MANACHE GANPATI’
- Speaking about the history behind the five ‘Manache Ganpati’, history researcher and scholar Mandar Lavate said, “In the second year of Ganeshotsav in the city, that is in 1894, there were around 100 Ganesh mandals. There were differences among the mandals in the city as to who should start the Visarjan (immersion) procession. To resolve this issue, Lokmanya Tilak suggested that Kasba Ganpati should lead the procession as it is the Gramdaivat (village deity) of Pune followed by Tambdi Jogeshwari Mandal, which is Gramdevata. For many years, we find the reference of only two Manache Ganapati. It is only after 1970s, that we find the references for five Manache Ganpati.”
- Explaining the reason behind this, Lavate added, “Guruji Talim always followed the first two Manache Ganpati, being on their route, followed by the Tulshibaug Ganesh Mandal. Later, when Jayant Tilak became editor of Kesari, he brought Kesariwada Ganpati at the fifth position.”

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