One of the most celebrated Hindu festivals across the nation is the ongoing Ganeshotsav which has already halfway through. Devotees, especially in Maharashtra, eagerly wait for the festival to commence so that they can welcome Ganpati Bappa with enthusiasm. There are several pandals set up throughout the city and some of them are more famous like Lalbaugcha Raja. It literally means ‘The King of Lalbaug’, a prominent locality in Mumbai. The sarvajanik pandal is kept for public display for 11 days. Each morning many people gather for live darshan of the Lalbaugcha Raja and the prayers begin from 6 am onwards. Ganeshotsav Pandals: How Bal Gangadhar Tilak Turned Ganesh Festival as an Instrument for Freedom Struggle.

The darshan for Lalbaugcha Raja is open for devotees 24x7 all the 11 days. It is one of the most visited pandals in Mumbai as people believe that all their desires and wishes are fulfilled. From common people to celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan and Sachin Tendulkar, the doors are open for all. People stand in queues for hours. At least seven hours for mukh darshan and more than 12 hours for charan-sparsh darshan. The area is crowded throughout the night and people also visit the nearby pandals. Ganeshotsav 2018: ATM for Modaks in Pune! Man Makes 'All Time Modak' Machine, Watch Video.

If one is unable to visit the pandal for whatever reasons, devotees can also catch the live telecast and streaming of Lalbaugcha Raja on their official YouTube channel. Tomorrow is day 7 of Ganeshotsav 2018 and the coming Sunday i.e. September 23, is the last day of the festival.

Watch Lalbaugcha Raja 2018 LIVE Mukh Darshan from Mumbai Day 7

To visit the Lalbaugcha Raja, devotees not only from Mumbai but from all over the country visit the pandal. There are millions of devotees each year who come to visit Lalbaugcha Raja. As the crowd is pouring in 24 hours, the arrangement of strict security is done for crowd-management. People also buy souvenirs from outside the pandal. There is not a single day you will find space to place your foot but on weekdays one can expect comparatively less crowd.

This year Lalbaugcha entered its 84th year. On the last day of visarjan the Lalbaugcha Raja is taken out of the pandal at around 10 am and that day the streets are flooded with people and roads are shut for all vehicles. The procession of Lalbaugcha Raja starts in the morning and the visarjan is done on the next day early morning. It takes a lot of time as the Lalbaugcha Raja goes through different routes and people seek blessings on the way. The crowd on the last day is unimaginable, so we suggest that if you want to visit the Lord, do it while the Raja is still in the pandal.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 19, 2018 05:30 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).