Chembur Ka Raja - history
If the Ganesha at Lalbaug is called Raja (king), Chembur too has its own king. The Chembur Ka Raja Ganesha beckons all the faithful to the pandal at Chembur Camp, near Golf Club.Shri Ganesh Dudheshwar Mandir, the organisers, began having the sarvajanik utsav over five decades ago. Though the idol’s placement is on the busy road of the Camp area, volunteers ensure that th
e devotees are granted darshan without any hardship or stampede. Rows of bamboos are erected on both the sides of the pandal. The lines for ladies and men are strictly separate in order to avoid any mischief in the crowd. The Ganesha idol is 16 feet tall and 14 feet wide and its posture, of a traditional sitting Ganesha blessing his followers, has been kept unchanged for a long time. The idol has been sculpted by the Chembur-based artist Kamulkar for several years now. Kamulkar has almost become a household name in the field of sculpting Ganesha idols and the massive vermillion coloured statue has become a symbol of the suburb. Like the Lalbaugcha Raja, this monarch too is reputed to answer the prayers and grant the wishes of the devotees. People belonging to various communities too regularly come to get a glimpse of the elephant God. Moreover, since the idol itself is very huge and impressive, decorations are not ostentatious. Flickering lights adorn the temple’s inner and outer walls.
