Massive Turnout At Khairatabad Maha Ganapati
Families, including those with children, turned up in large numbers to seek the blessings of Lord Ganesha: Reports
HYDERABAD: The Khairatabad Maha Ganapati pandal witnessed a massive turnout of devotees on Sunday as Ganesh Navratri celebrations continued with religious fervour.
With Sunday being a holiday, devotees began arriving early morning, resulting in long queues and heavy crowds around Khairatabad and Tank Bund. The queue stretched for nearly 2 km, beginning from the Khairatabad Metro station.
Families, including those with children, turned up in large numbers to seek the blessings of Lord Ganesha. The heavy rush also led to congestion in the surrounding areas, with police personnel deployed in large numbers to regulate the movement of devotees and ensure smooth conduct of the celebrations.
Barricades were placed at various points to streamline queues and manage the movement of devotees. Despite the rush, many said the arrangements helped them complete the darshan without much difficulty.
“Since it is Sunday, the crowd is pretty heavy and the queue starts all the way from the Khairatabad Metro station. Despite the rush, it took only about 30 minutes to complete the darshan. This is my first visit to the Khairatabad Ganesh,” said Sai Nikhil Vollala, a software engineer.
“We came with our family as Sunday was a holiday. There is a huge crowd, but we are happy to have darshan of the Khairatabad Ganesh. We have been visiting the idol since eight years,” said Prasanna Kumari, a resident of LB Nagar.
“We reached early in the morning, but there was already a long queue. The police personnel are helping regulate the crowd,” said Pendli Vinay Kumar, a resident of Kondapur.
“We were prepared for the crowd as it is Sunday. The atmosphere is very devotional and people are patiently waiting for darshan,” he added.
The towering Mahaganapati idol, adorned with flowers and ornaments, attracted devotees from across the city. The HMWSSB made arrangements to provide drinking water at the venue.
Minister for Transport Ponnam Prabhakar, along with several other prominent personalities, visited the Khairatabad Mahaganapati and offered prayers.
Speaking on the occasion, Prabhakar said the number of devotees visiting the idol was increasing every day. He said officials had been instructed to make arrangements according to the increasing footfall and ensure that devotees did not face inconvenience.
He said he prayed for the blessings of Lord Ganesha for abundant rainfall in the state and for the welfare and prosperity of the people. He also appealed to devotees visiting the Khairatabad Mahaganapati to pray for good rains and the well‑being of people across Telangana.