Hyderabad: Amidst chanting by thousands of excited devotees, the towering and one of the most popular idols Sri Saptamukha Kalasarpa Ganapathi of Khairatabad was immersed in the Hussain Sagar Lake this afternoon.
The 57-feet idol weighing 40 tons was the first to start towards the nearby lake at 7.30 am on Sunday for the immersion. The huge procession befitting the size and popularity of the idol, wound its way through the streets of Hyderabad, with thousands thronging both sides of the road and atop buildings to have a glimpse of the mammoth idol. The authorities arranged 400-ton special cranes and immersed Ganesh idol by 1 pm. The idols’ immersion at Hussain Sagar picked up with the Khairatabad Ganesh idol getting immersed by 1 pm here on Sunday.
Devotees in large numbers, who gathered at Khairatabad since early hours, accompanied the idol till the immersion which concluded at around 1 pm, as per the schedule planned by the organisers and the police. Earlier, hundreds of idols were immersed in the city lake till late this afternoon with lakhs of devotees intently watching the ceremony. Men, women and children watched with awe as the towering idol was being lowered into the lake with the help of a giant crane.
Amidst ecstatic devotees dancing to the drum beats and bhajans, Ganesh idols’ procession started at 6 am from various parts of the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad and reached Hussainsagar. Thousands of idols in different shapes and sizes were immersed in the lake from the designated spots.
The police ensured a smooth passage of the processions from various localities. The police made elaborate security arrangements for the peaceful conduct of Ganesh immersion procession. There was a little vehicular traffic on the city roads barring idols’ processions on the main procession route. Hyderabad City Police drafted police personnel from Telangana districts and also pressed into service Central para-military forces for security. The police heaved a sigh of relief as the Nimajjanam was peaceful and completed in a record time. Emergency response teams were stationed at key locations on the route.
[source_without_link]NSS[/source_without_link]