Thousands defy rains in Mumbai to bid adieu to Lord Ganesha

Thousands of devotees on Sunday (September 7) morning braved rains to gather at Girgaon Chowpatty in south Mumbai to bid farewell to the iconic Lalbaugcha Raja and other idols of the elephant-headed deity, as the 10-day Ganesh Puja festival concluded.

Authorities put in place tight security to ensure proceedings went smoothly. The city police kept no stone unturned, particularly after a bomb threat was received on Thursday (September 4).

Immersion processions of major public Ganesh mandals, including the city's famous Lalbaugcha Raja, commenced on Saturday (September 6) on the occasion of Anant Chaturdashi. They continued overnight before reaching the seafront early Sunday, officials said. The idol of Lalbaugcha Raja was placed on a specially built raft to be taken into the deep sea for immersion.

Also read: Mumbai on high alert after ‘34 human bombs’ threat amid Ganesh festival celebrations

Over 36,000 idols immersed

As of 6 am in the morning, more than 36,000 idols had been immersed across Mumbai, according to the Maximum City’s civic authorities — Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

It included 5,855 Ganpati idols of public mandals, 30,468 idols from households and 309 idols of Goddess Gauri. "No untoward incident was reported during the immersion process," a civic official said.

Also read: Chennai beaches buried in waste after Ganesh idol immersions

Several Ganapti idols of public mandals, including Lalbaugcha Raja, were being immersed at Girgaon Chowpatty as several thousand people witnessed.

Lalbaugcha Raja

As noted personalities in financial capital bid adieu to Lalbaugcha Raja on the final day of the festival, Anant Ambani, the youngest son of industrialist Mukesh Ambani, was seen joining the procession taking the popular idol towards the immersion ceremony.

#WATCH | Mumbai, Maharashtra: Thousands take to the streets as Lalbaugcha Raja is taken for immersion. Anant Ambani, Director, Reliance Industries Limited, also present.

Visuals from Girgaon Chowpatty. pic.twitter.com/CHvk8cueLi

— ANI (@ANI) September 7, 2025

Amid chants of "Ganpati Bappa Morya, pudhchya varshi lavkar ya" (Lord Ganesha, come early next year), the devotees gave a grand yet cautious farewell to the lord as they defied rain and a bomb threat to participate in the immersion processions.

Police on alert

Police authorities were on alert after receiving the threat message, claiming 14 terrorists had entered the city with 400 kilograms of RDX that was planted in 34 vehicles, an official earlier said.

Also read: Ganesh Visarjan 2025: Traffic advisories issued in major cities

More than 21,000 police personnel were deployed in the city to maintain law and order during the idol immersions.

Meanwhile, Amruta Fadnavis, wife of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, actor Akshay Kumar and BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani took part in a beach clean-up event held at one of the beaches in Mumbai post the immersions on Sunday morning.

(With Agency inputs)