Lalbaugcha Raja’s darshan to get ‘cooler’ this Ganeshotsav

The sea of humanity that will converge to seek the blessings of Lalbaugcha Raja, Mumbai’s favourite deity, will be cocooned from the sweltering heat and incessant rains this Ganeshotsav.

The Ganesh mandal is building an air-conditioned waiting enclosure, the city’s first, for devotees. Lakhs of devotees wait for hours in queues stretching up to several kilometres only to catch a glimpse of the idol.

The under-construction air-conditioned pavilion will be spread over 60,000 sq ft across two adjoining grounds and will be able to accommodate 12,000-14,000 people at a time. Five giant air-conditioning units will pump cool air into the enclosure.

“Devotees often stand for 15-16 hours on the road, braving the sun and rains. We thought they deserve some comfort while they wait in the queue,” said Suresh Khankar, president of the Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal, the trust which hosts the pandal.

The trust has got permission from the BMC and Mhada to use two grounds belonging to the agencies. The grounds are located behind the pandal where the Ganesh idol stands.

Khankar added around 12 million devotees came for darshan last year. The number is expected to shoot up by 20% this year. Devotees can also look forward to free snacks, tea and packaged water. The enclosure will also have a 24-hour intensive care unit managed by doctors and medical attendants.