70-feet Khairtabad Ganesh idol immersed in Hussain Sagar Lake amidst grand procession

Amidst chants of ‘Ganesh Maharaj Ki Jai’ and the blaring of horns, the towering 70-feet Khairtabad Ganesh idol was immersed in Hussain Sagar Lake on the afternoon of Tuesday (September 17, 2024).

The Shobha Yatra, or immersion procession, began around 7 a.m., passing through Sensation Theatre, Telephone Bhavan, Iqbal Minar, and the Telugu Thalli flyover, before reaching Crane No. 4 on the PVNR Marg, the designated spot for the immersion.

As the procession neared the Telugu Thalli flyover, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, along with senior officials from the Hyderabad City Police and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), arrived at PVNR Marg to inspect the cranes that will continue to immerse idols until Wednesday (September 18, 2024).

Once the Chief Minister left the venue, the idol continued its journey, reaching PVNR Marg around 12:15 p.m.

While a special puja was performed, marking the conclusion of the 11-day Ganesh Chaturthi festivities, the crane operators got to work. Devotional songs filled the air, broadcast from a small pickup truck leading the way. Onlookers, separated by tall barricades, danced to the music as they watched the grand procession.

By 1:30 p.m., the crane lifted the tall idol, and it was slowly submerged into the waters of Hussain Sagar. Hundreds of devotees crowded against the fencing, eager to capture the final moments of the immersion. In their excitement, some devotees broke through the barricades to get a closer view of the event.