Lalbaugcha Raja, the richest Ganesh pandal in Mumbai located at Lalbaug in Central Mumbai, continues to rake in the moolah with an anonymous devotee donating an idol of Lord Ganesh made of pure gold and encrusted with diamonds on Tuesday.
According to the Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal, the idol was left in the donation box. “We guess the value of the idol would be around Rs 42 lakh. It is the most expensive gift in kind we have received so far,” Mangesh Dalvi, Treasurer of the Mandal said. The idol weighs 1.2 kg.
Collections from devotees are also expected to touch record highs this year, according to Mandal officials. “So far cash gifts have crossed Rs 3 crore,” says Dalvi.
The Ganesh pandal which attracts scores of devotees who wait in queues for as long as 12 hours for a short glimpse of the deity is no stranger to expensive gifts. Idols of deities like Lord Ganesh and Goddess Lakshmi are common though none of them were as big as the gift received on Tuesday, according to Mandal officials.
As is the practice every year, the trustees of the 85-year-old Lalbaugcha Raja pandal count the cash and value the gifts received from devotees a few days after Anant Chaturdashi.
The gifts are then auctioned off with devotees paying lakhs of rupees for the items donated during the festival. The auctions are held over three days to maximise interest from the participants. The value of cash and proceeds from the auctions at Lalbaugcha Raja amounted to more than Rs 10 crore last year, according to reports.
