Belagavi's Ganesh Visarjan Stretches to 42 Hours, One of Its Longest

The Ganesha Visarjan procession in Belagavi drew to a close around noon on Sunday, September 27, after running for nearly 42 hours — a duration organisers described as among the longest the city has seen.

The public procession got under way on the evening of September 25, following the customary puja and aarti at Hutatma Chowk. The first idol was immersed at about 3.30 p.m. that day, while the last — the Belagavi City Corporation's Ganesha — went into the water on Sunday afternoon at Kapileshwar.

Police estimated that 1,056 public Ganesha mandals had installed idols across the city. Most observed the full 11-day celebrations, though some immersed their idols on Ashtami, the fifth day, and others waited until Ananth Chaturdashi after eleven days. Idols from Chavhat Galli, Khadak Galli, Bandhur Galli, Ganachari Galli, Rajahamsa Galli and Anagol joined the procession at later stages.

Crowds from Belagavi and the surrounding areas lined the route, gathering in large numbers at Dharmaveer Sambhaji Circle and other prominent points. Youngsters danced to DJ music, while Dhol-Tasha troupes, Dhvaja Pathak, Dollu and Kolata performances added to the atmosphere.

Security and civic arrangements ran for close to three days. More than 4,000 police personnel were posted for security and traffic management, and government officers, fire and emergency crews, civic staff, Hescom employees, lifeguards and earthmover operators stayed on duty for extended hours.

During preparatory meetings, Police Commissioner Prakash Nikam had asked the mandals to keep the procession to roughly 24 hours, but that target could not be met. Ganesha Maha Mandal chairman Vikas Kalaghatagi called for more immersion ponds in different parts of the city.

The procession passed off peacefully without any major untoward incident, apart from the accidental drowning of a youth.

Although Belagavi has four immersion ponds, the two near the Kapileshwar temple remain the principal venues for the ritual. Their capacity and the time each immersion takes led to long queues, straining traffic near the temple, the old national highway and the old city markets behind the bus stand.

Mr. Nikam thanked the people of Belagavi for their cooperation and acknowledged the work of police personnel and other departments through the procession. He attributed the delay to the height of some idols and the time needed to move and immerse them, and congratulated several mandals for lowering DJ sound levels and doing away with plasma and laser lighting this year. City Corporation Commissioner Karthik M. also thanked residents, municipal personnel and the police.