GRANDEUR:The prolonged duration prompted several Ganesha mandals and devotees to call for the expansion of immersion facilities, including larger ponds and additional cranes
GRANDEUR:The prolonged duration prompted several Ganesha mandals and devotees to call for the expansion of immersion facilities, including larger ponds and additional cranes GRANDEUR:The prolonged duration prompted several Ganesha mandals and devotees to call for the expansion of immersion facilities, including larger ponds and additional cranes GRANDEUR:The prolonged duration prompted several Ganesha mandals and devotees to call for the expansion of immersion facilities, including larger ponds and additional cranes GRANDEUR:The prolonged duration prompted several Ganesha mandals and devotees to call for the expansion of immersion facilities, including larger ponds and additional cranes Belagavi : Belagavi’s iconic Ganesha idol immersion procession, one of the largest and most celebrated in Karnataka, concluded on Sunday morning after continuing for nearly 42 hours, setting a new record and surpassing last year’s 36-hour duration. Around 380 public Ganesha mandals participated in the grand procession, drawing lakhs of devotees and visitors from Belagavi and neighbouring areas. The immersion process was further slowed as workers had to remove metal frames from large idols before immersion, with each idol taking around 15 to 20 minutes to be immersed. By 10 pm on Saturday, nearly 170 idols had been immersed, while dozens remained in the queue, causing the procession to extend well into Sunday morning.
Despite efforts by police and civic authorities to shorten the procession, delays occurred due to the large number of idols arriving from different parts of the city and nearby localities, including Vijayanagara, Hindalga, Ganeshpur and Piranwadi. Despite the logistical challenges, the event remained largely peaceful due to extensive security arrangements. Stay updated with the latest Hubballi news.
The prolonged duration prompted several Ganesha mandals and devotees to call for the expansion of immersion facilities, including larger ponds, additional cranes and improved infrastructure to accommodate the growing scale of the event in the coming years. The extended procession also caused major traffic disruptions across the city. Barricades and diversions remained in force on several key roads for more than a day, leading to severe congestion and inconvenience for commuters. Motorists were forced to use alternative routes as traffic movement slowed across major junctions and arterial roads. City police commissioner Prakash Nikam, DCP (law and order) Narayan Baramani, and other senior officers continuously monitored the proceedings. Thousands of police personnel, including KSRP, RAF and home guards, were deployed, while cranes, swimming teams and emergency response personnel were stationed at immersion sites to ensure safety. With the procession growing longer each year, demands for better planning, expanded immersion facilities and improved traffic management are expected to dominate discussions ahead of next year’s Ganeshotsav. Download the TOI App.
The procession, which began with traditional rituals at Hutatma Chowk on Friday evening, concluded at around 10am on Sunday after hundreds of public Ganesha idols were immersed in the old and new Kapileshwar immersion ponds.