Immersion of Lord Vinayaka idols marking conclusion of Ganesh Chaturthi festivities underway in Hyderabad

The immersion process of Lord Vinayaka idols in waterbodies following the nine-day-long Ganesh Chaturthi festivities is underway here on Thursday amid elaborate security arrangements.

About 90,000 idols of Lord Vinayaka are expected to be immersed in Hussain Sagar and numerous other lakes and waterbodies during the 'Nimajjanam' (immersion) process.

The main attraction of the Ganesh Chaturthi festivities in Hyderabad every year is the tall idol installed at Khairatabad in the central part of the city.

The organisers have installed a 63-ft tall idol this year and it was taken for immersion on Thursday morning.

In the Rachakonda Police Commissionerate itself, as many as 11,000 idols were installed for worship this year, police sources said.

Meanwhile, the 'laddu' offered as 'prasadam' at the famous Ganesh pandal at Balapur in the city was auctioned for Rs 27 lakh.

The auction of 'Balapur Ganesh laddu' is one of the major attractions of the Vinayaka Chaturthi festivities in Hyderabad, though the 'laddus' offered to the Lord at almost every pandal are also auctioned.

Securing the 'laddu' in the auction is believed to bring prosperity to the person who makes the successful bid.

Media reports said the 'laddu' at a Ganesh pandal in a posh residential community at Bandlaguda was auctioned for a whopping Rs 1.26 crore which was obtained collectively by all residents.

Meanwhile, the government has made adequate arrangements for immersion, including deploying cranes in the city.

The police have made elaborate security arrangements to ensure that the event goes on smoothly.

More than 30,000 security personnel are on duty in the state capital and its periphery for the immersion, which is expected to continue till Friday.

Accompanied by the heads of Traffic, Law and Order and Special Branch, Hyderabad Police Commissioner C V Anand on Tuesday carried a route inspection, commencing from the prominent Balapur Ganesh Temple to several significant areas along the way, a press release had said.

The city police appealed to the public to cooperate with law enforcement officials and follow safety guidelines to make this year’s Ganesh idols procession and immersion a memorable and incident-free celebration.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)