Panaji: Lord Ganesh, the deity of wisdom, was accorded farewell by a number of Hindu families in the state on Sunday, with the one-and-a-half day Ganesh Chaturthi festival coming to an end.
In the wake of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the faithful immersed the idols of Lord Ganesh in rivers, wells, rivulets, ponds, etc, much earlier in the day, instead of late night immersions.
The idols were immersed in the city at various points provided by the Corporation of the City of Panaji, including at Four Pillars, near Old Secretariat and next to Old Patto Bridge.
Many of the organisers of the Sarvajanik or community Ganesh Chaturthi festival decided to shorten the period of the festival to one-and-a-half days, instead of nine or 11 days.
The idol worshipped at the Margao police station was also immersed on Sunday, instead of its traditional stay of 11 days. A police team from this police station accorded a guard of honour to the idol before its immersion.
The tradition of holding bhajans and aartis, fireworks and visits to houses of neighbours and friends to pay obeisance to Lord Ganesh was curtailed by the faithful.
The immersion processions were bereft of revellers dancing to the tunes of recorded music and bursting of firecrackers.
This year, very few members of the families accompanied the idol of Lord Ganesh for immersion, with those accompanying wearing face masks.
Some of the devotees will be celebrating the festival for 5, 7, 9 and 11 days.
Those families who have postponed the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations due to the pandemic risk, will worship the idol of Lord Ganesh on Ganesh Jayanti day in the Hindu month of Magh, in February 2021.