Immersion of over 2,000 Ganesh idols of varying sizes put up in pandals all over Kurnool city 13 days ago began with religious fervour and gaiety in KC Canal at Vinayak ghat on Tuesday.
Deputy Chief Minister K.E. Krishnamurthy inaugurated the idol immersion ceremony by giving harathi to a Ganesh idol. Rajya Sabha member T.G. Venkatesh lit a lamp while Kurnool MP Butta Renuka applied tilak on the idol. District Collector Ch. Vijayamohan hoisted the Sri Ganesh Mahotsava Kendra Samithi flag during dhwajarohanam and a priest performed Ganapathi pooja. The idol was immersed with the help of a crane from a special platform constructed in the KC Canal bed.
Kurnool MLA S.V. Mohan Reddy, Panyam MLA Gauru Charitha Reddy, former Minister K.E. Prabhakar, former MLA Katasani Rambhupal Reddy, Superintendent of Police A. Ravikrishna, Viswa Hindu Parishad International President G. Raghava Reddy, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh regional pramukh Oleti Satyanarayana, RSS Vibhag president G. Raghuramaiah, leader M.D.Y. Ramamurthy, BJP State vice-president K. Kapileswaraiah and others participated.
Three processions
The first procession of Ganesh idols started with gaiety and grandeur after special pooja at Sri Rambhotla temple in Kurnool, amidst elaborate bandobust, at 9.30 a.m. Two more processions from Hanuman Junction (Bellary Chowrasta) and Kallur Chowrasta also headed towards the Vinayak ghat for immersion.
The Deputy Chief Minister and leaders presented certificates to high school students who won the essay-writing, elocution and painting competitions conducted by the Ganesh Mahotsava Samithi.
Devotional chants and songs were played all along the idol procession routes. Ganesh revellers smeared colours on their faces, tied saffron bands on their foreheads, sported caps and danced merrily to drumbeats during the processions.
Water packets and prasadam were distributed while annadanam was organised for the Ganesh revellers along the route. Crackers were burst by some organisers.
The idols were being immersed with the help of cranes put up at eight places along the KC Canal at Vinayak Ghat in Kurnool city.
The idol immersion would continue all through Tuesday night.
A large number of men, women and children turned up to watch the idol immersion event.
Police made elaborate bandobust, regulating traffic and monitoring the procession routes through closed circuit cameras.