मंडई गणपतीची ऐतिहासिक माहिती PUNE: Despite countless Ganesh idols in the city, some of them stand out and attract large crowds every Ganeshostav, because of their historical significance. One such idol is the ‘Sharada Gajanan’ of Akhil Mandai Ganpati Mandal in the Mandai area. Interestingly, the birthday of this Ganpati idol will be celebrated on Monday at 12 o’clock with both, modaks and cakes. The ‘Sharada Gajanan’ idol has a history of 119 years, almost the inception of public celebration of Ganeshostav started by Lokmanya Tilak. The chairman of the mandal, Anna Thorat, tells the story of this unique idol, resting in a half-lying posture on a swing. “In 1893, a childless merchant in the Mandai area, named Kachi, wished for a child in the Goddess Tuljabhavani temple at Tuljapur. He vowed that he would install the replica of ‘Sharada Gajanan’ placed on the kalas of the temple, here in the city’s Mandai area. Accordingly, after he was blessed with a child, he made the replica and offered it to the Sarvajanik Ganesh Mandal. Since then, the tradition is going on,” says Thorat. Thorat claimed that it is the oldest Ganesh idol in the country, being worshipped for over a century. ‘Sharada Gajanan’ idol is the wish-fulfilling (navasala pavnara) one, with its trunk on right side (ujvya sondecha). Devotees from Maharashtra and all corners of the country come here to take a vow for the fulfillment of their wishes, Thorat asserts. The idol is really a good omen for us, as we never have to beg for money for organising the festival. “Nowadays, the tradition of vargani (collection of money for festival) is outdated. We meet all the expenses of the festival without any difficulties. It is the blessing of Sharada Gajanan,” Thorat mentions. The idol has its own special features too. It is one amongst the eco-friendly idols from the early days of the festival. “The idol is made up of paper mache, an outcome of processing of the recycled paper.” Recalling the centenary celebration of the idol, Thorat says that during the renovation process of the idol, old newspapers in those days were recovered from inside the idol. In the year 1952, the porters from Mandai donated a similar idol to the Mandal, which is placed near the pandal.
Posted on: Thu, 26 Sep 2013 08:00:35 +0000
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