Pune, 26th September 2026: The immersion procession of Kasba Ganpati, the first of Pune’s five manache Ganpatis, was delayed this year, prompting the Shri Kasba Ganpati Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal Trust to apologise to devotees and citizens.
In an official statement, the trust acknowledged that the procession took around 30 minutes longer than expected at the beginning. It said the delay was caused by road blockage between the festival mandap and the Tilak statue at Mandai, where chariots of several other Ganesh mandals were already stationed.
According to the trust, the obstruction prevented Kasba Ganpati’s palanquin from reaching the Tilak statue area on time. The mandal said such a delay at the beginning of the immersion procession had not occurred in its 134-year history.
The trust said the issue was taken seriously and expressed regret for the inconvenience caused to devotees and citizens.
After the main procession began, several members of dhol troupes were seen occasionally moving ahead with their drums. The trust said this created disorder on the route and affected the pace of the main procession, causing further delays.
The mandal said it would take appropriate measures before next year’s immersion procession to ensure that such problems do not recur and that the procession follows its traditional disciplined and timely format.
The immersion procession began with Kasba Ganpati, as per tradition. The timings recorded for the five honoured Ganpatis were:
Kasba Ganpati: Procession began at 9:45 am from Mandai, reached Belbaug Chowk at 10:28 am and immersion was completed at 4:40 pm. Total duration: 6 hours 55 minutes.
Tambdi Jogeshwari Ganpati: Procession began at 10 am, reached Belbaug Chowk at 11:25 am and immersion was completed at 5 pm. Total duration: 7 hours 15 minutes.
Guruji Talim Ganpati: Procession began at 10:15 am, reached Belbaug Chowk at 11:27 am and immersion was completed at 5:05 pm. Total duration: 7 hours 20 minutes.
Tulshibaug Ganpati: Procession began at 10:45 am, reached Belbaug Chowk at 1:54 pm and immersion was completed at 5:34 pm. Total duration: 6 hours 49 minutes.
Kesariwada Ganpati: Procession began at 11:10 am, reached Belbaug Chowk at 3 pm and immersion was completed at 6:10 pm. Total duration: 7 hours.