Hyderabad: Lakhs throng to catch sight of Khairatabad Maha Ganesh

Hyderabad: Heavy rush was witnessed at the Khairatabad Maha Ganesh on Sunday with lakhs of devotees visiting the area to have blessings of tallest Ganapati in the city. Some, including children and senior citizens, faced inconvenience because of the rush.

The devotees lined up at Khairatabad early in the morning. While many waited for darshan, those busy taking selfies made the area look crowded. With heavy rush, visitors had no idea from where the queue lines were starting; it caused confusion. Some devotees lost valuables like purses, cell phones and some children went missing. Some elderly fell unconscious.

The police arranged queue lines from Khairatabad Metro Station, Tank Bund, Telephone Bhavan. The mass immersion procession will be on September 28 to mark Ananta Chaturdashi.

Being a Sunday before the immersion, the crowd was heavy, the organisers said. The Khairatabad Maha Ganesh is the city’s tallest and one of the oldest Ganapati samithis. The idol made of clay is 63 ft tall. Several VIPs and a large number of devotees visit the pandal every year.