KARACHI: Hindu devotees gathered at the Shri Lakshmi Narayan Mandir on Saturday for the final day of Ganesh pooja when the idols of Lord Ganpati, or Ganesh, are left or dipped in flowing water.

“Ganesh pooja goes on for some nine days and at the culmination of those days we bring out the idols for the murti visarjan,” said Naresh G. Waghala, a young devotee at the temple.

About murti visarjan, Devi Gauri Kishan, who was there with her two little grandsons, said the idol with the body of a human and head of an elephant is made of clay, which gets dissolved in the water. “Of course, some of the bigger and more expensive idols are not drowned but just washed or dipped in the water and brought back to shore,” she said.

“We haven’t spent tonnes of money on the idols. Some are made by professional sculptors but most are made at home. My 18-year-old sister Reena, who is getting married in six months saw a dream recently in which Lord Ganpati appeared and asked her to prepare his idol herself this time. So she got the clay and made the idol with her own hands. In that and the decorations we only spent around Rs600, which isn’t much if you think about the rewards of the pooja,” said Vikram Ram Dayal, another devotee at the temple.

Down the steps at the Native’s Jetty an orange lifeboat fitted with an engine was ready to take the idols and devotees a little distance near the mangroves of Chinna Creek, where amid more rituals and shouts of ‘Ganpati Bappa Morya’ they dropped the idols into the water.

Earlier, the other rituals included singing of various bhajans and carrying out the aarti. “The most important thing on the prasadthali, or offerings, is the modak ka ladoo, which is said to be Lord Ganpati’s favourite,” said Vishal Rajput from Shri Maharashtra Punchayat.

Meanwhile, little Jiya Arjun, the temple maharaj or pujari’s daughter was busy selling little cups of oil, incense sticks and sindoor for the pooja thali and bathing of the idols, including the Hanuman murti. “It is a Saturday, on which we also carry out Lord Hanuman’s pooja so that is also going on with Lord Ganesh pooja,” the child said.

Published in Dawn, August 31st , 2014