Lucknow: The seven-day Shri Ganesh Utsav began with religious fervour at Paltan Chhawani Sector-A, Sitapur Road Yojana Colony, Lucknow, coinciding with Ganesh Chaturthi.
The idol of Lord Ganesha was installed amid Vedic chants, prayers and enthusiastic cries of “Ganpati Bappa Morya”. Pandit Rajkishore Bajpai performed the rituals and led the installation ceremony.
As part of the celebrations, daily aarti and bhajan-kirtan will be held at the pandal at 8:30 am and 8:30 pm. A Sundarkand recitation has been scheduled for September 15, followed by a community bhandara on September 19. The festivities will conclude with the immersion of the Ganesha idol on September 21.
The elaborate pandal and the shrine have been decorated by local children and young residents, adding to the festive atmosphere in the locality.
A large number of devotees attended the installation ceremony. Those present included Ajay Kushwaha, Geeta, Shri Krishna Kushwaha, Krishnavati, Raj Kumar, Aarti, Komal, Manish Pal, Shikha, Pranshu, Shalu, Kuldeep, Vijay, Shambhu Sharan Verma, Mangal and other local residents and devotees.
The organisers said the celebrations would continue throughout the seven-day festival with devotional programmes and community participation.
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