Lalbaugcha Raja donation box opened; gold chains, dollars among offerings
The dan peti at Mumbai's Lalbaugcha Raja was opened on Tuesday, with devotees' offerings including Indian currency, dollars, gold chains and wooden bats.
The donation box at Mumbai's Lalbaugcha Raja was opened on Tuesday, a day after the first day of Ganeshotsav, and the counting of devotees' offerings has begun.
Among the items found inside the dan peti were Indian currency, dollars, gold chains and wooden bats, according to the mandal.
The counting is being carried out by a team that includes staff from Bank of Maharashtra, personnel from the BMC, members and advisory members of the mandal, and other colleagues involved in the process.
Mangesh Dalvi, Treasurer of Lalbaugcha Raja, said the collected money would be counted by the bank and civic staff along with mandal members and colleagues, and deposited with Bank of Maharashtra in the evening.
Dalvi said the funds gathered over the ten-day festival go towards the mandal's various initiatives, including a dialysis centre, a patient scheme, a computer centre, a library and a book bank.
The gold and other valuables have not yet been counted or assessed. "We still have to count the gold and check everything. After that, we will tell you how much there is and how much there isn't," Dalvi said.
Ganesh Chaturthi is a ten-day Hindu festival marking the birth of Lord Ganesha. The celebrations involve the installation of Ganesha idols at homes and public places, prayers and cultural programmes, and conclude with the immersion of the idols.