Delhi Ganeshotsav: Laxmi Nagar and Pitampura pandals open September 14

A nine-foot Ganpati holding a BrahMos missile, a drone and a semiconductor chip will be installed at the DDA Mini Cricket Stadium in Laxmi Nagar for the 25th Delhi ka Maharaja Ganesh Mahotsav.

The festival will run from September 14 to 25 at Bank Enclave, Priyadarshini Vihar, with programmes scheduled from 8pm to 11.30pm. Organisers have named the theme “Vighnaharta Se Vikasakarta”. An 80-foot exhibition stage will depict a transition from temples and saints to science and technology, with sculptures, rockets, drones and a 10-foot bullet-train model.

At DDA Netaji Subhash Place Ground in Pitampura, the 10th Lal Bag Ka Raja Ganpati Mahotsav will open at 7.30pm on September 14. Organisers say 2,100 people will blow conch shells simultaneously as part of an attempt at a world record. The pandal will unveil an 18-foot Ganpati idol made by Mumbai artists associated with the Lalbaugcha Raja idol.

The Pitampura event is scheduled to run from September 14 to 24, from 2pm to 1am. Organisers expect 20,000 to 25,000 visitors daily and say the pandal will be air-conditioned.