Rs 42L gold Ganpati idol with diamond-encrusted crown is Mumbai’s Lalbaugcha Raja’s costliest gift ever

The Lalbaugcha Raja on Tuesday got its costliest gift in 85 years since it was formed – a Ganesh idol made of gold, with a diamond encrusted on his crown, worth approximately Rs 42 lakh.

The idol, left by an unknown devotee, weighs approximately 1kg and 200gm. The value of the diamond has not been estimated, but could be Rs1 lakh.

Balasaheb Kamble, president, Lalbaugcharaja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal, said, “We don’t know who donated the idol. It was found in the hundi [donation box].”

The collection in cash and kind at the mandal last year was around Rs 10 crore.

Meanwhile, the Lalbaughcha Raja idol on Tuesday wore a different look, with a garland of notebook around it to denote the mandal will help underprivileged children get education.

Last year, during the auction, the mandal received a silver-plated copper sword, which was considered to be a unique donation, which would have fetched up to Rs 3 lakh. The other donations that the mandal received last year, included a 1kg gold biscuit and two gold idols of Laxmi and Ganpati each weighing 550gm.

First Published: Sep 19, 2018 09:46 IST