Member Uday Singh who initiated the festival came upon art director Prasad Mane from Mankhurd. “It took over a month to sculpt the caves, carvings and waterproof it. We’re stunned by the result,” says his daughter Priya.
The Ganpati trail of Khetwadi, Lalbaug and GSB drew lakhs of visitors since Friday. Lalbaugcha Raja’s brisk ‘mukhdarshan’ queue saw devotees reach the deity in three to four hours.
Meanwhile, Satish Nayak, spokesman for GSB King’s Circle says, “We have surpassed expectations this weekend. Around 90,000 people arrived on Saturday, and Sunday’s figure alone will likely cross 1.2 lakh. Our collections come mainly from puja. Last year we had booked 55,000 and this time we crossed that mark early Sunday. By the time we wind up our five-day celebration on Monday, we will have conducted 15-20% more pujas than 2014.” GSB’s visarjan yatra begins at 7pm on Monday.
Khetwadi has 14 lanes of which 13 house uniquely carved, gigantic idols. The 46-year-old Khetwadi cha Raja situated between lanes 7 and 8 welcomed 6,000 darshan seekers each day of the weekend. President Pawan Sharma says, “Our Ganesh tableau is 25-ft high and the three-headed idol is crafted in the mould of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. Our sculptor Kunal Patil is an alumnus of J J School of Art.”
Mandal spokesman Niranjan Dikshit says there is barely space to walk in Khetwadi’s narrow lanes during Ganeshotsav weekends. “Lakhs of pandal hoppers visit as mandals are located in close proximity. Unlike Lalbaug with three main Ganpatis, here we have 14 lanes of creative splendour. We receive devotees from far-off Virar, Thane and Badlapur.”