A tableau each by 16 families signals the finale of Chaturthi celebrations at Adpai

Ponda: The otherwise sleepy hamlet of Adpai in the Ponda taluka came alive early Sunday evening just before the sun began to set. Devotional songs by the village’s 16 families (kutumb) rent the air as members of each clan wound their way through clusters of homes to immerse their respective Ganesh idols in the Zuari river after five days of worship. To add to the attraction, each of the 16 idols of the elephant-headed god was accompanied by a larger-than-life tableaux intricately crafted by the families themselves to depict various mythological themes and social topics.

Adpai’s 16 ‘kutumb’ comprise the Khumne Bhatkar, Borkar, Khandekar, Bandodkar, Pokle, Soshe Bhatkar, Sakle Mule, Vasta, Mangni, Vaile Mule, Tari Lotlikar, Khandekar Kadebhat, Mardolkar, Kurdikar, Nameshwar, and Shivamba Devi clans. Scattered members of each family unfailingly converge at their ancestral homes at Adpai each year during Chaturthi to celebrate the much-loved festival. On the fifth and final day, the families — in keeping with tradition — take out their Ganesh idols in processions displaying tableaux of various scenes, to the banks of the Zuari where the immersion ceremony takes place. The event attracts people from all across the state.

Union minister of state Shripad Naik, who is native to Adpai, belongs to the Soshe Bhatkar family. The clan’s tableau portrayed Lord Krishna and all its members were clad in traditional attire.

The Borkar family created just an ‘aras’ depicting Sun, while the Vasta family crafted an idol of goddess Laxmi.

All the idols were taken to the Datta Mandap in the village and after a final joint prayer by the 16 kutumb, they were immersed in the river. Several canoes were arranged to take the idols to the centre of the river for immersion, the Union minister of state said.