20 September,2026 07:38 AM IST | Mumbai | Ritika Gondhalekar
Third-generation artist Manaswi Bagwe with her father Manohar Bagwe (blue shirt) and uncle Sadanand. PIC/RITIKA GONDHALEKAR
If the history of Lalbaugcha Raja is to be told, it cannot begin and end with just the Kambli family. Long before the idol-making legacy became synonymous with this one name, several other artisan families were entrusted with the responsibility of creating the iconic murti.
One such family is the Bagwe family, who made Lalbaugcha Raja from 1990 to 1996 - a seven-year association that has largely remained out of the spotlight. "I still remember, just a few weeks before Ganesh Chaturthi, the Lalbaug's committee members called me around 1.30 am and asked if I would be able to make the idol for that year. Considering that the Kamblis had the monopoly, I tried asking the reason for their request. They simply said that I should not interfere in those matters, and the next day, when I visited the mandal's office, they just asked me one more time. I said yes. But even till today I do not know what had exactly happened at the time," said Manohar Bagwe, one of the three brothers who made the idol in 1990.
What makes their story particularly remarkable is that 1990 was the first time the Bagwe family had ever undertaken the making of a large murti. And their first major assignment was not just any idol - it was Lalbaugcha Raja. Recalling the experience, Bagwe said, "For us, 1990 was an important year. We had never made such a large murti before, and our first opportunity to make a big idol was Lalbaugcha Raja. It was a huge responsibility, but also a matter of great pride for our family."
The family went on to make the Raja for seven consecutive years. Their craftsmanship thus became part of the annual tradition that attracted thousands of devotees to Lalbaug. Yet, decades later, their contribution remains relatively unknown to the very public that continues to celebrate the Raja every year.
Manaswi Bagwe, the third-generation artist of the family who has completely shifted her profession from being a lawyer to a full-time artist since this year, said, "We respect the Kambli family. But the contribution and respect of any other family shouldn't be taken away either. Many families and artisans have contributed to Lalbaugcha Raja over the years, and our seven years of association are also a part of that history. Simply claiming and/or promoting that only âthey' have done it is unfair, unethical and immoral."
The Bagwe family's story raises a big question - How much of Lalbaugcha Raja's history has actually been preserved, and how much has been reduced to just one family name?
"No one is disrespecting anyone here. But because of the upbringing that we were brought up with, I visited Venkatesh Kambli when the mandal approached us. At that time, I had asked him what had happened. I assured him that I would not make the idol if he did not wish so. That was my sanskaar. And at the same time, he even supported and encouraged me to make the idol. He, not even once, discouraged me or held any grudges," said Manohar.
The Kambli family's association with the idol is an important part of its history. But the Bagwes' seven-year stint is a reminder that the story of Mumbai's beloved Ganpati is bigger than any one surname - and that the artisans who shaped the Raja deserve their place in its history too.
Other families who have carried on the tradition of Lalbaugcha murtikar were, Manohar Shedge (1953), Shyam Sarang (1954 and 1960), Goekar (1955 and 1959) and Gawde Bandhu (1956 and 1957).
