Celebrates 23 years since inception with eco-friendly approach

Kharghar cha Raja transfers you to the Devbhoomi of Uttarakhand with its theme this year. At the entrance, a paper mache statue of Lord Shiva greets devotees. Creating a replica was no mean feat, it took a month to complete, due to delays caused by the inclement weather. It took around 70 workers to make this concept a reality.

The pandal located on the grounds of Gokhale High School Maidan in Sector 12, Kharghar celebrates 23 years, since its inception in 2001. An interesting fact about Kharghar cha Raja is that this pandal has their very own theme song.

Three key people who have helped in carrying out this tradition are Mr. Vijay Patil - founder and chairman of Kharghar cha Raja, Pradeep Mhatre -Utsav Mandal Secretary, Vinod Shinde – Utsav Mandal Treasurer, along with other kariyakatas.

While speaking to Newsband, Vijay Patil spoke about what makes Kharghar cha Raja special among other Ganesh pandals. He said, “This pandal is tied up to the main mandir of Kharghar cha Raja. At this pandal people come to make mannats, and when their wishes come true, they return to this place to give thanks. Many Navi Mumbaikars go to Mumbai to visit pandals, but we can say with great humility that devotees from Mumbai flock to our pandal during Ganeshotsav. ”

This pandal is eco-friendly in its approach. It is one of the rare Ganesh mandals which do not take the main Ganapati, that is, Kharghar cha Raja for visarjan, but immerse a smaller idol of Lord Ganesh in an artificial pond.

Pradeep Mhatre shared his insights behind this reason, he said, “We believe in conservation of the environment, we do not want to pollute water bodies. The main deity is not taken out for immersion, but is kept secure in another place for next year, the smaller idol of Lord Ganesha is immersed after all the rituals have been completed.”

Apart from being conscious about the environment, the mandal also does its bit to help humanity through its social initiatives. Mhatre stated that for the entire ten days from Ganesh Chaturthi to Anant Chaturdashi the mandal has organised a health camp for the benefit of devotees who come to visit the pandal. Medicine worth Rs. 2 lakhs has been distributed. Aside from that, on every sankashti we distribute food at the temple through ‘annadan’. We also take initiatives for the health and welfare of senior citizens.

There were several programmes that were part of this year’s Ganeshotsav. On Sunday, September 24 there was a singing competition for people in the age group of 10 to 45 years. People from as far as Bhiwandi had come to be a part of this event. There was also a cooking and food presentation competition for women. There is a dance competition which will be held on Tuesday, September 26 for children who are 15 and above. There will also be a fashion show for people above the age of 15, later on in the day. As part of the celebrations, there was also a Mangalagauri competition.

On the last day of Anant Chaturdashi, the main idol will be left in the temple while the smaller idol will be taken through a procession for immersion at an artificial pond.

Aarti Jadhav, a resident from Nerul who came to visit the pandal said, “They have made a life-size near perfect replica of the holy pilgrimage site of Kedarnath. My children really liked it, especially the murti of Lord Shiva who is after all the father of Lord Ganesha.”

Neeraj Deshpande, another devotee who made a trip to this pandal all the way from Worli, Mumbai said, “While Lalbaugcha Raja is popular among many, Kharghar cha Raja holds a special place in my heart, as I grew up in this neighbourhood before moving to Mumbai. I had also made a mannat to Lord Ganesha for a successful open heart surgery of my aunt Radhika, and Bappa watched over her, and the surgery went well and she had a good recovery over time. That is why I make it a point to visit this pandal every year.