Don’t be surprised if you see a mandap by the roadside where Ganpati puja goes on for days. Maghi Ganpati, which was earlier celebrated as a one-day festival, has grown with time and, in some places, become akin to the Ganeshotsav (Chaturdashi) held in September.

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While Maghi Ganpati is celebrated for the birth of Ganpati, Chaturdashi is for his rebirth.

Prominent mandals that get taller Ganpatis during Chaturdashi, in particular, celebrate Maghi Ganpati by getting a smaller idol for lesser number of days. These mandals have bhajans and kirtans, aarti and prasad offered to devotees on all days and social service-related programmes.

Charkop resident Suresh Patnaik said, “At our place, we celebrate Maghi Ganpati as an eight-day festival. Unlike during Chaturdashi, when the Ganesha idol is over 15 feet, during Maghi Ganpati, it’s around 10 feet.”

Patnaik, a government servant, and his family make it a point to visit the Maghi Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal in sector 4, Charkhop. “My son goes for aarti in the morning and I go during the day sometime,” he added.

A large number of people, who don’t go to mandaps, celebrate in temples in the vicinity. “Aartis are conducted in a big way at the temples,” said MM Prabhakaran, a resident of Ghansoli.