Team Herald
MARGAO: In a show of devotion and revelry in Salcete taluka, as thousands of people of all age groups on Tuesday came out in large numbers to bid their emotional farewell to Lord Ganesh, concluding the 11-day Ganesh Chaturthi festivities.
After performing religious rituals, Ganesh idols of the Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandals were taken out for immersion. The idols installed at Pimpalkatta, South Goa police headquarters, Margao and Shree Datta Mandir were taken out for immersion accompanied with the beats of dhols, drums, band and lezim by men and women, who danced enroute to the immersion site. On the way, the procession halted at many places so as to allow the devotees to pay their last respects.
Devotees participated in the traditional Ganesh idol immersions held in Margao, Cuncolim, Quepem and Fatorda. The idols which were installed in Margao were immersed in a lake at Tolleaband, Benaulim with chanting of “Ganpati Bappa Morya Pudhchya Varshi Lavkar Ya” (O My Lord Ganesha come early next year).
The festival started on September 7. The Margao police had made elaborate arrangements to ensure that the immersion procession proceeded peacefully.