Mumbai unveils the first look of Lalbaugcha Raja 2025 as Ganesh Chaturthi begins on August 27 with devotion and grandeur. (Image Source: X/ PTI_News)
Mumbai is all set to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi, and the excitement began early this year with the first look of Lalbaugcha Raja 2025 being unveiled on Sunday and the idol, dressed in bright magenta attire, left devotees spellbound. Every year, lakhs of Mumbaikars, from celebrities to common people, line up in huge queues at Putlabai Chawl to seek blessings from the ‘King of Lalbaug’. The ten-day Ganeshotsav, starting on August 27, will bring prayers, music, rituals, and cultural festivities. The festival will end with visarjan, when the idol is immersed in water as chants of Ganpati Bappa Morya fill the streets.
The first glimpse of the idol set the festive mood for the city. People gathered to see the grand decoration and magenta outfit of the beloved Ganpati while this moment has now become a tradition, where the first look officially signals the beginning of the celebration. Every year, the scale grows bigger, and the devotion becomes stronger, making it the most awaited moment for Mumbaikars.
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Ganesh Chaturthi is not just a festival; it is an emotion in Maharashtra. This year it begins on August 27 and will last for ten days. Families, mandals, and local communities come together to pray, celebrate, and enjoy cultural programmes and the streets come alive with colorful processions, decorations, and beats of dhol. The last day, visarjan, is both emotional and grand as people say goodbye to their beloved Ganpati with tears, joy, and chants.
The story of Lalbaugcha Raja goes back to the early 1900s, when Parel was a busy textile hub. But in the 1930s, industrial changes affected the lives of mill workers. At that time, local fishermen and traders prayed to Lord Ganesha for help while soon, they received a plot of land, which later became the famous Lalbaug market. People believed it was Lord Ganesha’s blessing.
Out of gratitude, the community decided to dedicate part of this land to Ganpati celebrations. That is how the Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal was formed. Since then, the idol has been installed here every year with grandeur but over the years, the pandals became bigger, the decorations became more creative, and the celebrations turned into a cultural landmark for the city.
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Today, Lalbaugcha Raja is not just an idol, it is a symbol of faith and hope for millions of people while devotees believe that whatever they pray for here comes true. This is why people from all over India visit every year to take part in the celebrations. The Ganeshotsav in 2025 will also carry forward the same tradition of devotion and grandeur that has been followed for more than a hundred years.
