Ganesh festivities culminate with colorful processions, mass immersion

Tirupati: Gaiety and religious fervour marked the mass immersion of Ganesh idols at Vinayaka Sagar on Sunday, bringing the five-day Chavithi celebrations to a grand conclusion.

Hundreds of idols, set up in different localities across the city, were carried in colourful processions accompanied by traditional music, drum beats, and energetic dances by youth.

The processions wound their way through the main streets before reaching the immersion site, where devotees raised slogans hailing the elephant-headed deity.

Members of the Tirupati Varasiddhi Vinayaka Utsava Committee volunteered during the event, guiding the processions and serving food and drinking water to devotees along the route.

The idols were welcomed near Vinayaka Sagar with Harati before being immersed as per tradition. The Municipal Corporation of Tirupati (MCT) made elaborate arrangements to ensure smooth conduct of the immersion.

Commissioner N Mourya personally reviewed the arrangements several times prior to the festival. Drinking water, sanitation, lighting, and cranes for lifting and lowering the idols into the tank were provided.

Police, under the supervision of SP V Harshavardhan Raju, deployed 600-member strong security, with CCTV cameras installed across key points to ensure safety.

Fire services, TUDA and other departments also coordinated with MCT to facilitate the programme. Vinayaka Nimajjanam Committee members, including Samanchi Srinivas, G Bhanu Prakash Reddy, RC Munikrishna, P Naveen Kumar Reddy, Gundala Gopinath Reddy, Vooka Vijaya Kumar and Varaprasad along with others actively participated in managing the immersion. Earlier, Mayor Dr Sirisha and Commissioner Mourya offered special prayers at the Ganesh idol installed at the MCT office before joining a rally to Vinayaka Sagar for immersion.

Employees of the corporation added a festive touch with dance performances during the procession.

Meanwhile, the traditional auction of the laddoo offered to Lord Ganesha, organised annually by the MCT, fetched Rs 3.55 lakh this year. The spirited bidding saw engineering officials win the prized offering. The laddoo was later handed over to Superintendent Engineer Syam Sundar by the Mayor and the Commissioner. Deputy Commissioner Amarayya, municipal engineers Tulasi Kumar and Gomati, Health Officer Dr Yuva Anvesh, revenue officers Setu Madhav and Ravi, ACP Murthy, Madhu and several other officials participated in the festivities.