Gold, dollar garland, special bat: Offerings pour in at Mumbai's Lalbaugcha Raja

A video has surfaced showing the donation box at Mumbai’s iconic Lalbaugcha Raja Ganapati pandal being opened earlier this week. The batch of donations included cash, gold ornaments and a specially carved cricket bat.

The offerings were unveiled on Tuesday, September 15, a day after the first day of Ganeshotsav 2026.

The footage shows members of the organising committee and other officials sorting currency notes of different denominations from a large pile of donations spread out on the ground before them.

The video also features gold and silver ornaments and other valuables displayed on a table. It also shows a huge garland made entirely of US dollars.

A team of Bank of Maharashtra staff, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) personnel, and members and advisory members of the organising committee were present there to carry out the counting process.OFFERINGS TO BE USED FOR SOCIAL CAUSES

Mangesh Dalvi, Treasurer of Lalbaugcha Raja mandal, said on Tuesday that the donations collected during the ten-day festival will be used to support various social welfare initiatives.

"Whatever money is deposited over these ten days, all of it goes toward our various initiatives. We have a dialysis centre, a patient scheme, a computer centre, a library, our book bank, and all this money goes toward those initiatives," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Dalvi said the gold and other valuables would be counted and assessed before official figures regarding the donations are released. "We still have to count the gold and check everything. After that, we will tell you how much there is and how much there isn't," he stated.

Ganeshotsav begins with Ganesh Chaturthi, the Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Lord Ganesha. The festivities will span 12 days this year.- Ends(With inputs from agencies)Published By: mayukh Published On: Sep 18, 2026 08:46 IST