The first glimpse at Lalbaugcha Raja 2023 was revealed on Friday. The presentation of the idol was live-streamed on the Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganesh Utsav Mandal’s official YouTube channel. This Mandal, which has been in operation for more than 80 years, draws devotees not just from Maharashtra but also from neighbouring states. The Lalbaugcha Raja idol is estimated to be 12 feet tall in 2023, according to several media reports. The immensely popular Lalbaugcha Raja idol is created on-site, therefore no aagman procession (arrival ceremony) is required.
लालबागचा राजा २०२३ चे प्रथम दर्शन. Lalbaugcha Raja 2023 First Look#lalbaugcharaj pic.twitter.com/TKIYZIzjbV
— Lalbaugcha Raja (@LalbaugchaRaja) September 15, 2023
The pandal that houses the idol is located at the Lalbaug Police Station in South Mumbai’s Lalbaug Market.
The Charan-Sparsh queue starts on Babasaheb Ambedkar Road and stretches along GD Ambekar Marg near Kala Chowki.
Idol Makers Work Around The Clock As Ganesh Chaturthi Approaches Near
With Ganesh Chaturthi only three days away, there is a buzz in Mumbai as pandals prepare to collect their large idols from workshops and households prepare to bring their domestic idols home, news agency PTI reported.
Idol producers in the city have been working around the clock in preparation for the 10-day mega event, which kicks off on September 19.
Mumbaikars, on the other hand, are finicky about their ‘Bappa’. While some people buy Ganesha idols from the same store for more than ten years, others choose to have their Ganesha created to their specifications.
Sunil Panchal, who operates an idol store in downtown Mumbai’s Lalbaug neighbourhood, claims to manufacture idols for 300 customers each year. “I have customers who have been coming to me year after year. Some want their idol to be modelled after the Lalbaugcha Raja, Dagdusheth Ganpati or in the Titwala ‘baithak’ style. These three types of idols get sold the most,” Panchal was quoted by PTI in its report.
Panchal has 400 idols varying in size from one to eight feet in his business and even entertains last-minute clients. “There are people who come on the day of Ganesh Chaturthi or just a day before the festival to book idols, we have a stock saved for them as well,” he stated.
