Grand Farewell to Hindustan's First Public Ganpati! Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari Ganpati, Amid Massive Devotee Gathering

Pune: Amid thunderous dhol-tasha beats, chants of “Morya Morya”, showers of flowers and dazzling cold-fire illumination, Pune’s Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari Ganpati — regarded as India’s first public Ganpati — was given an emotional farewell in the early hours of Saturday. 

The grand immersion procession, led by the spectacular Shri Vighnaharta Rath, witnessed thousands of devotees lining the route to seek darshan of Bappa. The procession culminated at 4:01 am at the municipal immersion tank at Panchaleshwar ghat.

The procession began around 9 pm after the idol had earlier been taken from Shri Ganesh Suvarnadham Temple towards the Tilak statue at Mandai. As per tradition, Punit Balan, festival chief and trustee of the Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari Trust, offered floral garlands to the five revered Ganpati idols at the Tilak statue.

The Vighnaharta Rath, led by Punit Balan, reached Belbag Chowk around 9:45 pm. A statue of Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari with a nagada mounted above it led the procession, followed by performances of traditional martial arts by ShivYoddha Mardani Akhada.

The Yuva Vadyapathak, Shri Ram and Ramanbaug dhol-tasha groups added to the electrifying atmosphere, while flower showers and cold-fire illumination turned the procession into a visual spectacle.

At around 3:30 am, the chariot reached Tilak Chowk, where thousands of devotees raised chants of “Morya Morya”. Additional Commissioner of Police Tejaswini Satpute performed the aarti before the idol proceeded for immersion.

Punit Balan The Trustee and Festival Head of Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari Ganpati Mandal said, “The immersion procession of the Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari Trust’s Ganpati Bappa was conducted with the same enthusiasm and grandeur as every year. We were ready to participate in the immersion procession at the time given by the police administration, but there was a delay due to certain reasons. After receiving permission from the police, we joined the immersion procession on Laxmi Road. We tried to complete the procession in the shortest possible time.

There is certainly a sense of sadness after bidding farewell to Bappa. However, we will immediately begin preparations for next year’s Ganeshotsav with new ideas. I sincerely thank the police administration, Pune Municipal Corporation, mandal office-bearers and all the volunteers for their cooperation in conducting the entire Ganeshotsav peacefully and enthusiastically.