History of Andhericha Raja: Raja of Andheri is the most famous and revered in Mumbai Ganesh One of the pandals is known as the 'wish-fulfilling Ganesha' i.e. the vow-taking Ganesha. Located in Azad Nagar in Andheri West, a suburb of Mumbai, this Ganesha has a unique history and tradition.(Photo Courtesy – Social Media)
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Raja of Andheri was established in 1966. It was started by the Azad Nagar Public Utsav Samiti, a group of local mill workers working in factories like Tata Special Steel, Excel Industries and Golden Tobacco Company. These workers initially lived in Lalbagh and Paral areas of South Mumbai, but later migrated to MHB Colony in Andheri West for work and the foundation of this grand festival was laid.
Also, a unique story to this Bappa's immersion is also told. In most Ganapati Pandals in Mumbai, Bappa's immersion is performed on Anant Chaturdashi i.e. 10th or 11th day. However, the immersion of the Raja of Andheri takes place after Anant Chaturdashi, which makes Bappa stay in the pandal for approximately 16 to 21 days. There is a historical story behind this.
In the early 1970s there was a severe industrial depression and prolonged strikes in Mumbai's factories. The closure of the mills created a crisis in the livelihood of the workers, forcing many families to return to their villages. At this time, the founding members of the Mandal and the workers made a vow to Bappa that if the mills were to resume smoothly and the workers got their jobs back, they would perform Bappa's immersion on the coming Sankashti Chaturthi instead of Anant Chaturdashi.
Shortly after the vow, the factory layoffs ended and everything was back to normal. Since then, this Ganesha came to be known as the “Swearing Lord Ganesha” and later the “King of Andheri” throughout Mumbai. Since then this tradition of immersing the Sankashti has been followed regularly
The statue of Raja of Andheri is approximately 9 feet tall. This idol is an official trademark registered, which means no one can make an exact replica of this idol. This Bappa's immersion procession is one of the longest running immersion processions in Mumbai. Starting from Azad Nagar, it passes through Andheri Market and 7 bungalows to reach Versova Chowpatty. This procession lasts approximately 18 to 20 hours. A special feature of this procession is that it passes through many Muslim- and Christian-dominated areas, where people of other faiths also welcome Bappa and fulfill his wishes.
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After the wishes of the devotees are fulfilled, the gold offered by them is melted and made into ornaments for Bappa. The grand crown worn by Bappa is approximately 3 kg of pure gold and is worth crores of rupees. Also, this mandal is known to create its mandap every year as an exact replica of a famous temple or historical architecture in India.
