Ganeshotsav will be celebrated in the Kashmir Valley for the second consecutive year, with festivities expanding to three locations this year. Replicas of Ganesh idols from the Manache Ganpati will be handed over to three mandals on Saturday (August 31). The seven leading Ganesh mandals include the first five Manache Ganpati, such as Kasba Ganpati, Tambdi Jogeshwari, Guruji Talim, Tulshibaug Ganpati, and Kesariwada. The two other prominent Ganpati mandals are Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari Ganpati and Akhil Mandai Mandal.
Punit Balan, Chief and Trustee of the Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari Ganpati Trust, revealed this on Thursday. The festival, which began in Pune in the late 19th century, has now reached foreign shores and is celebrated worldwide. However, it was not observed in the Kashmir Valley, an integral part of India, for the past 34 years.
In response to this, Balan took the initiative. Seven prominent Ganesh mandals (Manache Ganpati) took a collective step in this direction and installed a Ganesh idol at the Ganpatyar Mandir in Srinagar’s Lal Chowk for one-and-a-half days last year.
This year, a five-day festival will be celebrated in Kupwara and Anantnag. For the first time, an idol of the first Manacha Ganapati, Kasba Ganpati, was installed at Lal Chowk. In the second year of celebrations, replicas of three Manache Ganpati idols—Tambdi Jogeshwari, Guruji Talim, and Tulshibaug—will be handed over to the three mandals in the Valley. A function will be held on Saturday to hand over the idols, said Punit Balan.
“We started celebrating the Ganpati Festival in Kashmir last year after a gap of 34 years. This year, a five-day festival will be celebrated in Kupwara and Anantnag with the cooperation of Manache Ganpati mandals from the city. We are happy and content to be a part of this initiative. I am sure that peace will prevail in Kashmir and it will prosper with the blessings of Ganpati Bappa," said Balan.
