Hundreds of devotees paid homage to Lord Ganesha by immersing his idol in the Sabaramati river.
It was a colourful and musical Thursday evening at the under-construction Sabarmati riverfront. Hundreds of devotees paid homage to Lord Ganesha by immersing his idol in the river. Amid chants of ‘Ganpati Bappa Moriya, Pudchiya Varshi Lavkar ya’, the festive spirit of the citizens of Ahmedabad reverberated along the riverside for more than five hours.
The recent outbreak of swine flu cases in the state did little to mar the festive fervour. While security forces were deployed at the immersion points along the riverbank, hundreds of idols were immersed in the river. By evening, devotees from all parts of the city made their way to the riverfront, all the while dancing, singing and chanting in ecstasy, in trucks, cars and on foot.
Devotees thronged the streets and gathered at Ellis Bridge, Nehru Bridge and other places along the river to catch a glimpse of idols of the beloved deity being immersed in the Sabarmati. These places attracted thousands of devotees over the course of the 10-day festival.
The riverfront was readied in the form a large, colourful fair, accommodating all kinds of entertainment for all ages. While the children were carried away by colourful toys, the youth danced in full swing. Their elders offered coconuts and perfumes to the lord, even as the evening sky was tinged with red.
To avoid any untoward incidents, the police kept 15 immersion points along the river. Thousands of police personnel were deployed at these points, including armed forces at strategic locations. In addition to this, devotees were not allowed to immerse idols of Vighnavinashak.
All roads leading to the riverfront remained packed till 10 pm on Thursday. The devotees were not allowed to remain at the immersion points after immersion. “Though the police did not allow us to remain at the immersion spots, we are happy that there was no rush or jostling this time around. In fact, the police managed the situation well. However, we were a little disappointed that they did not allow us to immerse the idols with our own hands,” said Ramesh Mehta, a devotee.
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