'Idol not more than 4 feet': Maharashtra issues guidelines for Ganesh Chaturthi amid COVID

In a bid to keep the COVID-19 cases under control during the festive season in Maharashtra, the state government on Tuesday released guidelines for the organisations involved in the Ganesh Chaturthi Festival. The government has categorically stated that there will be no easing of restrictions for the celebration of the festival.

According to the guidelines, the 'Ganesh Utsav Mandal' needs to take prior permission from the municipal corporation or relevant local authorities before setting up mandaps (pandals). Moreover, the size of the idol of Lord Ganesha should not be more than 4 feet for public mandaps and 2 feet for residence, as per the guidelines. There shouldn't be visarjan processions in view of the threat of another wave of COVID-19, the guidelines said.

The government has urged the organisers to raise awareness on the health crisis through the festival instead of the cultural programs and to ensure no crowding occurs at pandals, while also adding that blood donation drives can be held along with raising awareness on COVID-19, Malaria, Dengue, etc.

The organisers will have to ensure there is no crowding during Arti/Bhajan/Kirtan or other religious function. Sanitisers and thermal scanning are mandatory at the mandap while the people are required to mask up and maintain physical distance. The guidelines also stated that online darshan should be encouraged through cable networks, websites or through Facebook instead of people flocking to mandap for darshan.

For those who would celebrate the festival at home, the government has urged them to make use of the metal or marble idols of Lord Ganesha instead of the conventional form of clay idols. For clay idols of Lord Ganesha, visarjan should be done at home if it is possible, else they should visit the nearest artificial ponds for visarjan.

Threat of a third wave of COVID-19

Although Maharashtra has seen a downtrend in the new COVID-19 infections, the emergence of the new 'Delta Plus' variant is seen as a threat and the government is seemingly cautious not to let the cases rise as the state after it witnessed a trail of devastation in the second wave of COVID-19.

Moreover, earlier in the month, the state health department also cautioned Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray that Maharashtra which reported over four million COVID-19 cases in the second wave, could see double the cases in a possible third wave of infections. The health department remarked that vaccinating the susceptible population is the key to reduce the threat of the third wave.

Ganesh Chaturthi festival

Ganesh Chaturthi, the ten-day long festival revering Lord Ganesha will begin from September 10 this year. Huge processions carrying a statue of Lord Ganesha is a common practice during the festival, which will have to be let go of amid the pandemic. Although the festival is celebrated across the country, states such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, and Karnataka are the ones to celebrate it with great pomp and fervour. Other states who celebrate this festival include  Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Delhi, and Punjab. The festival has been celebrated since the era of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, however, freedom fighter Lokmanya Tilak reinvigorated the festival and it played a significant role in India's freedom struggle against the Britishers.