Bidding adieu to Lord Ganesha

The

annual Sangodd festivities

of Cumbarjua was a low-key affair this year due to the pandemic. The traditional Sangodd includes tying two canoes together and creating floats on it, while they parade before immersing the idol of Ganpati on the

seventh day

of Chaturthi. It’s a tradition being followed by the villagers for over 500 years, and sees thousands of people attend the festival. This year, however, only a handful of people gathered, and only a few villagers took part.

“The Ganesha is worshiped in the temple for seven days, and immersed in

river Mandovi

in Cumbarjua. Due to the pandemic, we cancelled the float parade on the water. However, as part of the tradition, Ganesha was worshiped for seven days and all rituals were conducted by the priest and committee members. We didn’t have the palki this year since it requires more people. Instead, we hand-lifted the idol until the river bank, and only the people who were required for the rituals were allowed to go on the canoe,” says Shivaji Mukund Shet, president of the Shri

Shantadurga

,

Kumbharjuvekarin Devasthan

, Marcela.