CM Fadnavis bids farewell to Bappa on Anant Chaturdashi
Synopsis
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis marked Anant Chaturdashi on 25 September 2026 with a bilingual prayer for prosperity and good health, joining millions of devotees bidding farewell to Lord Ganesha as the ten-day Ganesh Chaturthi festival concluded across the state.
Key Takeaways
Anant Chaturdashi fell on Friday, 25 September 2026 , marking the end of Maharashtra's ten-day Ganesh Chaturthi festival.
CM Devendra Fadnavis posted a bilingual English-Marathi message praying for happiness, prosperity, and good health for all.
The Ganesh Chaturthi public celebration tradition in Maharashtra traces back to Bal Gangadhar Tilak 's late-nineteenth-century revival of the festival as a community event.
Ganesh Visarjan processions draw hundreds of thousands of devotees to rivers, lakes, and the sea across Mumbai , Pune , and other cities.
The state government coordinates immersion logistics annually, including environmental guidelines on Plaster of Paris idol restrictions and crowd management at ghats.
A state falls silent, then erupts in chant. On Anant Chaturdashi, Friday, 25 September 2026, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis joined millions of devotees across the state in bidding farewell to Lord Ganesha, marking the conclusion of one of India's most deeply felt festivals.
Posting in both English and Marathi, the Chief Minister offered his prayer: 'श्री गणरायाच्या कृपाशीर्वादाने सर्वांना सुख-समृद्धी व उत्तम आरोग्य लाभो' ('May Lord Ganesha's blessings bring happiness, prosperity, and good health to all') — closing with the beloved Marathi send-off: 'गणपती बाप्पा मोरया, पुढच्या वर्षी लवकर या!' ('Ganpati Bappa Morya — come back early next year!').
Ten days, one Maharashtra
Ganesh Chaturthi and its culmination on Anant Chaturdashi represent far more than a religious observance in Maharashtra. The ten-day festival — marked by towering public pandals, neighbourhood processions, and household puja — weaves together devotion, community, and cultural identity in a way few events in India can match. From the narrow lanes of Pune's Kasba Peth to the seafront of Mumbai's Girgaon Chowpatty, Ganesh Visarjan processions draw hundreds of thousands of devotees who accompany Bappa to rivers, lakes, and the sea in a farewell charged with both sorrow and joy. The tradition of public celebration, rooted in Bal Gangadhar Tilak's late-nineteenth-century vision of the festival as a vehicle for community solidarity, continues to define Maharashtra's civic calendar today.A Chief Minister's prayer and what it signals
State leaders routinely mark Ganesh Visarjan with public messages — but the gesture carries practical weight too. The Maharashtra government each year coordinates immersion logistics across the state: environmental guidelines on Plaster of Paris idol restrictions, designated immersion ghats, and large-scale crowd-management operations. Fadnavis's message, posted at the break of the festival's final morning, signals both personal devotion and an acknowledgement of the millions of Maharashtrians for whom this day marks the year's emotional high-water mark. As the drumbeats fade and the processions wind home, one phrase echoes from every street corner — a promise as much as a farewell: Ganpati Bappa Morya, Pudhchya Varshi Lavkar Ya. Until next year, Bappa.Point of View
Where the festival holds both deep religious and politically symbolic significance, marking the occasion publicly is as much civic duty as personal faith. The bilingual post — English and Marathi — also reflects a conscious outreach to both urban-cosmopolitan and traditional Maharashtrian audiences. Beyond the sentiment, the day is a logistical test of state capacity, and a smooth Visarjan is, for any sitting CM, its own quiet political win.
NationPress
25 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Anant Chaturdashi and why is it significant in Maharashtra?
Anant Chaturdashi is the fourteenth day of the bright fortnight of Bhadrapada month in the Hindu calendar, marking the final day of the ten-day Ganesh Chaturthi festival. In Maharashtra it is the day of Ganesh Visarjan — the ceremonial immersion of Ganesha idols — and is one of the state's most emotionally significant annual events.
What did CM Devendra Fadnavis say on Anant Chaturdashi 2026?
CM Fadnavis posted a bilingual message praying that Lord Ganesha's blessings bring happiness, prosperity, and good health to all, and joined in the traditional farewell chant 'Ganpati Bappa Morya, Pudhchya Varshi Lavkar Ya' — 'come back early next year'.
What is Ganesh Visarjan and how is it celebrated in Maharashtra?
Ganesh Visarjan is the ritual immersion of Lord Ganesha's idol in a body of water — river, lake, or sea — on Anant Chaturdashi. In Maharashtra, large processions accompany the idols to designated immersion points, with drumming, dancing, and chanting. Major sites include Mumbai's Girgaon Chowpatty and Pune's river ghats.
Who started the tradition of public Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in Maharashtra?
Freedom fighter and social reformer Bal Gangadhar Tilak revived and popularised the public celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi in Maharashtra in the late nineteenth century as a way to unite communities and foster a spirit of collective identity.
What environmental rules apply to Ganesh Visarjan in Maharashtra?
The Maharashtra government enforces guidelines restricting idols made from Plaster of Paris in favour of eco-friendly materials, designates specific immersion ghats to prevent river and sea pollution, and deploys teams for crowd management and post-immersion clean-up during the festival period.
