The 10-day Ganesh festival has begun in Maharashtra, with devotees welcoming Lord Ganesha into their homes and public pandals. The state government has declared the celebrations a state festival for the first time.
The Kesari Ganesh Utsav marks the festival the way Lokmanya Tilak had envisioned it. Here's a peek into celebrations at this historic location in a feature first published in 2000 on Rediff.com.