The Ganesh idol at King’s Circle. Picture by Gajanan Dudhalkar

Mumbai, Aug. 28: He is the wealthiest this year. And, decked in Rs 2.5 crore worth of jewellery, he is making ladies turn green with envy.

Meet Ganesh, in the Gaur Saraswat Brahmin (GSB) community’s pandal at King’s Circle.

At 17 feet, he dwarfs everything around him. But he didn’t always stand so tall. He was only 12 inches when the organisers first brought him home 52 years ago. It’s been a gradual growth, the rise every year equal to the size of a fist.

The ornaments can be tempting, so the Brahmin community is forking out a Rs 2.5-lakh premium to give him a 15-day cover.

The organisers, however, don’t think visitors are dazzled by all the gold that makes the idol here the most opulent in town. “God has given me a good life, if he wants to take it away from me while I visit him, it is his will,” says Anita Kamat, having just offered him sugar and coconut equivalent to her weight.

The 26-year-old has flown in from Bahrain to be part of the Ganesh festival and, despite being pregnant, she is helping around here. The oldest among the volunteers is a 90-year-old, while the youngest is four.

As the idol grew over the years, so did the jewellery that devotees offered. “This time, we have flowers made of gold (equivalent to a gold biscuit) on his trunks that were gifted by one of our devotees. He also wears a 1.5-kg payal made of 22-carat gold,” says Satish Rama Nayak, who leaves his hotel business to employees for the five days he devotes to the community puja.

The gold crown, 33 inches high, weighs more than 22 kg. The hands, feet and trunk are made of solid gold and, with the weapons and the sacred thread, they weigh around 60 kg. In addition, there are silver ornaments that weigh about 160 kg.

“We keep jewellery in the strong-room of Syndicate Bank for 350 days,” says Nayak.

Security is a concern for most Ganesh puja organisers in blast-scarred Mumbai. The GSB community is spending Rs 2.5 lakh to ensure all goes well for the five days the god is in town. “We have installed 16 closed-circuit TVs and cameras at various points in the pandal,” Nayak says.

Joint convener Dinesh Pai says the security arrangements have not muted the enthusiasm.

“People are not bothered about security. We have 80 security guards here but people only want a darshan. Over the years, the number of devotees who come here has grown,” Pai adds, claiming that the daily footfall is about a lakh.

“Prayers are fulfilled here. Whatever mannat (wish) we have, it is fulfilled. We weigh our children in gold and when our wishes come true, we offer the promised amount to the deity,” says Srilata, a devotee.

Organisers say they have never gone door to door for donations. The devotees, they add, have come forward with their contributions.