If there is one festival all Mumbaikars look forward to every year, it's Ganesh Chaturthi. The city and its people instantly lighten up, and the energy is entirely different during these eleven days. This festival honours Ganesha's birth cycle. His idol is immersed underwater at the end to allow him to return to his home, just as his mother, Parvati, created him from earth. Known as the god of beginnings and the remover of obstacles, everyone looks forward to bringing Bappa home and celebrating his birthday!
If you want to enjoy every moment of Ganesh Chaturthi, you shouldn't miss pandal-hopping. And we're not talking about flitting from one pandal to another in a 2 km radius around home turf! We're talking about the whole deal and getting darshans from the city's greatest — a full-blown, adrenaline-fueled tour of pandals that have been synonymous with Ganesh Chaturthi since the festival's very inception (in 1893!). It may be ambitious, but we believe you should visit all these pandals this year. Chart your route, starting with the one that's farthest from home, and make your way back.
