Ganesh Chaturthi draws to a close as idol is lowered into sea

Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations culminated with the immersion of the Ganesha idol in the sea on a clear spring day in Wellington.

The closing phase of the 10-day festival, conducted by the Wellington Indian Association (WIA), kicked off with the Shodashopachara pooja performed by families gathered at the Indian Cultural Centre in Kilbirnie on September 4.

The elaborate ritual was overseen by the priest of the mandir housed on the premises, who guided the devotees through the intricate 16-step procedure of  adorning their miniature Ganesha idols with flowers and incense, among other items, before bathing the idols  in milk.

The pooja, which lasted for over two hours, was followed by a brief address to the assembly by chief guest and Indian High Commission acting charge d’ affairs Mukesh Ghiya.

The main Ganesha idol, installed at the front of the hall, also underwent the cleansing and propitiation ritual.

The proceedings were punctuated by loud chants of “Ganapathi bappa morya”[ meaning “ bless us Father”] by the assembled devotees, many of whom were women and children who had  turned out in   traditional Indian finery.

The main Ganesha idol was then borne out of the hall to the energetic drumbeats of the dholak and frenzied dancing and chanting by devotees before it was taken to a waiting vehicle to be transported to the designated immersion site, along the sea shore at Shelley Bay in the Peninsula of Miramar.

Prior to the Ganesha idol’s departure to the immersion area, Mukesh Patel, chairman of the WIA board of trustees, appealed to the devotees to avoid crowding the beach.

While most people chose to stay behind and proceeded instead towards the dining area for “mahaprasad” or the noon meal, the ardent followers joined the convoy winding its way to Shelley Bay.

The Ganesha idol was heralded by loud chants on its arrival at the seaside location before it was borne aloft by a handful of male devotees to the water’s edge, where it was then taken into the sea and immersed.

“We had to apply for permission from the Greater Wellington regional authority to immerse the idol into the sea,” Patel, who accompanied the idol the whole way, told the Indian Weekender.

Patel said strict conditions applied in respect of the number of people accompanying the idol to the immersion site, as well as the materials that went into the making of the idol.

For example, the Ganesha idol had to be made of clay, which was biodegradable and dissolved easily. Plaster-of-Paris idols were prohibited.

Cries of “until next year” rang out from women devotees, assembled on the beach, who watched from a distance as the Ganesha idol disappeared under the waves, marking the close of Ganesh Chaturthi 2022 in Wellington.