<p>Mumbai: More than 2,500 Ganesh mandals and lakhs of households in the financial capital of the country will be celebrating the ten-day Ganesh festival from Saturday.</p>.<p>Authorities had received 3,358 applications from Ganesh mandals -- groups that celebrate the festival in public places -- and permission to put up pandals was granted to 2,635 mandals as of Friday, said a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation official. Another 300-odd applications were pending approval, he said.</p>.<p>Many mandals brought in their Ganpati idols with grand processions in the last two-three days.</p>.Ganesh mandals: Stepping stone for budding politicians to become leaders from 'karyakarta'.<p>The idols will be installed at homes and in pandals with rituals on Saturday.</p>.<p>Crawford Market, Lohar Chawl and Dadar vegetable markets were chock-a-block during the day with people thronging to buy flowers, sweets, puja materials and items for decoration.</p>.<p>Bright, coloured lights have already lit up streets and bylanes in Lalbaug, Parel, Girgaon, Andheri, Chembur, Fort and other areas which house famous Ganapati mandals.</p>.<p>Lakhs of devotees visit some of the popular pandals such as `Lalbaugcha Raja' during the ten days of the festival.</p>.<p>Other well-known mandals in the area include Chinchpokli, Ganesh Gully and Tejukaya.</p>.<p>The Matunga-based GSB Seva Mandal, known for its Lord Ganesha adorned with gold jewellery, is considered one of the wealthiest mandals.</p>.<p>Some 15,000 police personnel will be on the streets for the next ten days to provide security, officials said. </p>
<p>Mumbai: More than 2,500 Ganesh mandals and lakhs of households in the financial capital of the country will be celebrating the ten-day Ganesh festival from Saturday.</p>.<p>Authorities had received 3,358 applications from Ganesh mandals -- groups that celebrate the festival in public places -- and permission to put up pandals was granted to 2,635 mandals as of Friday, said a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation official. Another 300-odd applications were pending approval, he said.</p>.<p>Many mandals brought in their Ganpati idols with grand processions in the last two-three days.</p>.Ganesh mandals: Stepping stone for budding politicians to become leaders from 'karyakarta'.<p>The idols will be installed at homes and in pandals with rituals on Saturday.</p>.<p>Crawford Market, Lohar Chawl and Dadar vegetable markets were chock-a-block during the day with people thronging to buy flowers, sweets, puja materials and items for decoration.</p>.<p>Bright, coloured lights have already lit up streets and bylanes in Lalbaug, Parel, Girgaon, Andheri, Chembur, Fort and other areas which house famous Ganapati mandals.</p>.<p>Lakhs of devotees visit some of the popular pandals such as `Lalbaugcha Raja' during the ten days of the festival.</p>.<p>Other well-known mandals in the area include Chinchpokli, Ganesh Gully and Tejukaya.</p>.<p>The Matunga-based GSB Seva Mandal, known for its Lord Ganesha adorned with gold jewellery, is considered one of the wealthiest mandals.</p>.<p>Some 15,000 police personnel will be on the streets for the next ten days to provide security, officials said. </p>