Hyderabad: The 70-foot-tall Khairatabad Ganesh was immersed into the Hussain Sagar Lake, marking the conclusion of the 10-day Ganesh Chaturthi festival, on Tuesday, September 17.
The idol reached Tank Bund at 1:30 pm in the Saptamukha Mahaganapati Shobhayatra. The event began early in the morning, with the final pujas concluded by the organizers, culminating in the ceremonial lift of the Ganesha idol onto a large tusker, using a crane.
After the morning prayers, the Khairatabad Ganesh idol started its Shobha Yatra around 6:30 am, and made its way towards NTR Marg. The procession passed through notable landmarks including Sensation Theatre, Telephone Bhavan, Telugu Talli Flyover, and the Secretariat.
According to the organizers of the Khairatabad Ganesh Committee, the total collection of ‘hundi’ (donations) made by the visitors during the last ten days amounted to Rs 70 lakh.
Hyderabad: Khairatabad Ganesh earns Rs 1.10 Cr revenue this year
For the first time, the organisers counted the total collection of money received at the pandal under closed circuit cameras.
Another Rs 40 lakh was generated through hoardings and advertisements through other forms.
Origins of Khairatabad Ganesh
The practice of installing Ganesh at the spot started in 1954, when freedom fighter Shankaraiah first set up a small pandal, with a tiny one feet in height idol to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi.
As years passed the height of the idol also kept going up by a foot every year and in 2014, the idol was 60 feet tall. This year, the height is around 70 feet.
The Khairatabad Ganesh assumes a different avatar every year and its laddu prasadam is much sought-after by lakhs of devotees thronging the pandal.
Chennai based veteran sculptor Chinnaswamy Rajendran, with 30 years of experience in idols made the Khairatabad Ganesh idol with the help of 150 artisans.
