Kolhapur/UNI: With traditional sounds, high mast lights, and enthusiastic festivity, thousands of people from this western Maharashtra’s gur and sugar belt districts bid a traditional farewell to Lord Ganesh on the auspicious “Ananth Chathurthi” today to mark the end of the ten-day-long Ganesh festival.

The Ganesh idol immersion got underway this morning amidst chants of ‘Ganpati Bappa Morya, Pudchya Varshi lavkar Yaa”, accompanied by the revered breathing sounds of dhols, lezims, and cymbals.

The main procession, traditionally led by “Manacha Ganpati” of Shree Tukaram Mali gnash mandal’s idol, performed a ‘Puja’ by Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj and former minister Satej Patil at 0900 hours Thursday morning near Khasbag wrestling arena.

Jayashree Jadhav, MLA, Kolhapur district collector Rahul Rekhavar, Kolhapur Municipal Corporation (KMC) commissioner K Manjulaxmi, district superintendent of police Mahendra Pandit, and others, including leaders of various political parties, were present on this occasion.

The district administration and KMC have banned immersing idols in the Panchangaga River and in the historic Rankala Tank, barricaded all roads leading to the river and tanks, and diverted an immersion procession from Gangavesh to Irani Khan.

The district police authority covered the immersion route by installing CCTV cameras at various points, including Mirjkar Tikti and Binkhami.

Ganesh Mandir, Mahalaxmi Mandir Chowk, Gujari Corner, Papachi Tikti, Gangavesh, and the Irani Khan section were watched for the Ganesh immersion procession.

A heavy police bandobast was deployed on the route of Ganesh immersion with additional SP, ten-DYSP, 30 police inspectors, 143-API, and DPI.

2028 police constables and women constables, one platoon of State Reserve Police, along with the help of the White Army and various social organizations with ‘police-mitra’, were deployed.