Ganpati festival: 45-foot 'Bappa' towers over bylanes of Mumbai's Khetwadi

The 45-foot Ganpati idol, towering over the bylanes of Khetwadi, is in the avatar of Lord Indra holding a “vajra”, the weapon held by the rain god, in one hand.

A 45-foot idol of Lord Ganesha, reportedly the tallest in Maharashtra, is all set to draw large crowds to the Khetwadi area of south Mumbai this Ganpati festival. This year, the 11th lane of Khetwadi in Girgaon boasts of the tallest 'Bappa' the city has ever seen and is certain to lure a large number of devotees during the 10-day festival, which begins on September 19.

The whopping 45-foot Ganpati idol, towering over the bylanes of Khetwadi, is in the avatar of Lord Indra holding a “vajra”, the weapon held by the rain god, in one hand.

The origin of the Khetwadi Ganpati, also known as “Mumbaicha Maharaja”, dates back to 1962 and over the years, the mandal has endeavoured to have the most unique idol on display.

“Since 1999, we started increasing the size of the idol every year from 25 feet to this year's Ganpati, which is the tallest in Maharashtra, at 45 feet,” says Hemant Dixit, president of the Khetwadi, 11th lane Ganpati Mandal.

Created by artist Kunal Patil, the idol has been in the making since June, while the planning began six months ago. "Around 20 to 22 lakh devotees visit the pandal every year to see the tallest idol in Maharashtra. After taking Lalbaghcha Raja’s blessings, people make a beeline to Khetwadi to seek blessings," Dixit said.