Pune (Maharashtra) [India], August 22 : The iconic Shrimant Dagadusheth Halwai Ganpati Trust will mark the 133rd year of its Ganeshotsav celebrations with a grand replica of Kerala's Padmanabhaswamy Temple.
The idol installation (Pranpratishthan) will be performed on Wednesday, August 27, at 11:11 am by Jagadguru Shree Ramanujacharya Swami Ghanshyamacharya Maharaj of Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh. The decorative illumination will be inaugurated the same evening at 7 pm, Trust President Sunil Rasne said.
The 100-feet-tall replica will feature a five-tiered gopuram, intricate carvings, and a grand reclining idol of Lord Padmanabhaswamy. A floral chariot procession will precede the installation.
This year's festivities will include a mass Atharvashirsha recital by 31,000 women on August 28, a collective Satyavinayak Puja on September 5, along with daily rituals throughout the festival. The Trust has also arranged for free medical aid, ambulance services, a Rs 50-crore insurance cover for devotees, 150 CCTV cameras, and online darshan facilities.
Earlier on July 27, the historic Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari Ganpati Mandal, known as India's first public Ganesh Mandal, marked the commencement of Ganeshotsav 2025 with its traditional Vasapujan ceremony.
The ceremony was attended by Rajesh Bansode, Additional Commissioner of Police, Pune City (West Region), who performed the ritual and addressed the gathering.
Highlighting the massive turnout expected during the Ganesh festival in Pune, Bansode urged volunteers from various Ganesh mandals to maintain the same discipline and dedication as police officers.
"Pune's Ganeshotsav draws lakhs of devotees, but the police force is limited. Every volunteer should contribute with the same responsibility as law enforcement personnel," he appealed.