Ratnagiri gears up for Ganeshotsav as lakhs return home from Mumbai, Pune
Ratnagiri district will install 169,664 Ganesh idols this year as migrant workers throng home for the festival
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The moment all of Konkan waits for all year is now just hours away, with Ratnagiri district set for a grand Ganesh installation this year. A total of 1,69,664 Ganesh idols will be installed across the district, including 1,69,538 household idols and 126 community (sarvajanik) idols.
Migrant workers from Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad and other parts of the state have returned home in large numbers, filling the roads to Konkan with vehicles and people. Every household has finished cleaning and shopping to welcome Ganraya.
Among household idols, Chiplun recorded the highest number at 16,725. This was followed by Lanja with 16,145, Ratnagiri Rural with 14,773, Guhagar with 14,460 and Sangameshwar with 13,544 household idols.
Besides these, Devrukh will see 12,493 household idols, Khed 12,700, Dapoli 6,476, Nate 7,279, Alore Shirgaon 4,570, Jaigad 3,450, Purnagad 3,768, Mandangad 2,945, Dabhol 1,499 and Bankot 760.
In terms of community Ganeshotsav, Ratnagiri city leads with 26 mandals installing idols. Khed has 21 mandals. This is followed by Chiplun with 16, Mandangad with 11, Dapoli with nine, Rajapur and Devrukh with seven each, while Lanja and Jaigad will each have six community idols.
The Raja of Shringartali and the Nilkantheshwar community Ganesh idol in Guhagar are considered special attractions. In Ratnagiri city, the idols of Shri Ratnagiri Cha Raja, Bandar Road, Tilak Ali and Shantinagar Cha Raja are also quite popular.
Not just in ordinary households and mandals, but also at police stations, Mahavitaran offices, government hospitals, municipal councils, the district special jail and the public works department, Ganraya is being welcomed with great enthusiasm this year, with special decorative displays being prepared at these locations.
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