Mumbai: On Tuesday, the day of Anantha Chaturdashi, Mumbai’s Matunga hosted a grand spectacle organised by more than 50 flower merchants. They decorated the Ganesh idols four times, adorning the deity with a staggering 200 Kg of flowers each time. This was their 52nd festival.
Followers joined in beating Pancha Vadhyam (a traditional five-instrument ensemble) and performed Karakattam, an ancient folk dance of Tamil Nadu, characterized by the balancing of a pot on the head, while they accompanied the procession. Performers clad in colourful saris balanced a pot on their heads while dancing.
In large numbers, devotees thronged the streets, especially on the main road leading to the river, eager for a glimpse of the elaborately adorned idols of the elephant-headed god Ganapathy.
Later, the devotees, in a display of unwavering devotion, took out the procession to immerse the idol in water.
Ananta Chaturdashi is the culmination of the ten-day-long Ganesh Chaturthi festival, during which devotees bid farewell to the deity Ganesh by immersing idols (visarjan) in water.
Anantha Chaturdashi, a festival steeped in cultural significance, is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. According to the Agni Purana, the divine serpent manifestation of Vishnu — Ananta-Shesha, is venerated on this occasion to free adherents from sins.
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