15 September,2026 09:14 PM IST | Mumbai | Tarun Verma
Heavy traffic, long queues but quick Mukh Darshan at Lalbaug (Pic/Tarun Verma)
On Day 1 of Ganeshotsav 2026, I headed to Lalbaugcha Raja - one of the most-visited pandals in Mumbai - after midnight to assess the arrangements and experience the Mukh Darshan rush on the ground. As local trains and Mumbai Metro services do not operate after 1.30 am, I left Marol Naka around midnight in a private vehicle on Monday.
The journey was relatively smooth to begin with. The Western Express Highway and roads around Dadar were largely empty at that hour. However, the scenes changed as I approached Parel. There was heavy traffic, with vehicles inching towards Lalbaugcha Raja and other pandals.
With no proper designated parking facility available anywhere close to the Lalbaugcha Raja pandal, I parked my vehicle around 500 metres before Bharat Mata Circle and continued the journey on foot.
The walk to the pandal was roughly one kilometre from the parking point.
Vehicle movement was restricted well before the pandal, with barricades put up at Kalachowki Circle, around 500 metres from Lalbaugcha Raja. The main entrance was heavily barricaded, while Mumbai Police personnel were deployed at several points to regulate the movement of devotees and vehicles.
As I was about to reach the pandal, another challenge emerged - finding the right queue. After walking for nearly a kilometre, I found it difficult to determine where the Mukh Darshan queue began and where the Charan Darshan queue was. Despite the huge number of devotees making their way towards the pandal, there were limited direction boards along the route.
Mandal volunteers and representatives were also not always readily available to guide devotees who were unsure about which queue to join. The lack of clear signage meant several devotees were seen trying to figure out their route themselves.
The Mukh Darshan queue began around 200 metres from the main gate of Lalbaugcha Raja, towards Chinchpokli, along Dattaram Lad Marg. At first sight, the queue looked intimidating. Yet, contrary to its appearance, it moved at a fairly brisk pace.
I joined the queue around 1 am. The first 15 minutes were spent walking along the footpath. The walk, coupled with the late-night wait, left me feeling dehydrated. But before devotees entered the zig-zag queue, the mandal had arranged packaged drinking water, providing some relief for devotees.
After having some water, I entered the zig-zag queue at the maidan. The queue stretched for nearly a kilometre, but it continued to move steadily. Around 20 minutes later, I reached the street from where the idol could finally be seen.
Around 1.40 am, I got the first glimpse of one of Mumbai's most iconic Ganpati idols - Lalbaugcha Raja.
The moment devotees had waited for was, however, fleeting. Volunteers continuously urged people to keep moving ahead, leaving little time to stand before the idol, bow their heads, or simply take in the darshan.
For some devotees who had already spent time walking and waiting in the queue, the brief glimpse could be frustrating. The Mukh Darshan route kept the enormous crowd moving, but that also meant devotees had only a few moments in front of Bappa. For me, the entire process - from entering the Mukh Darshan queue to reaching the idol - took around 40 minutes.
The brief glimpse of Lalbaugcha Raja brought a sense of relief and devotion that made the long wait feel worthwhile. For those few moments, the noise and movement of the crowded lanes seemed to fade as devotees caught sight of their beloved Bappa and folded their hands in prayer.
Immediately after exiting the Mukh Darshan route, devotees were offered prasad free of cost. After spending nearly 40 minutes navigating the queues and walking through the crowded stretches leading to the pandal, receiving a prasad packet that contained two laddus felt like a small but meaningful gesture of hospitality.
Security remained a prominent feature throughout the route. CCTV cameras installed by the Mumbai Police kept a watch over the movement of devotees and activity around the venue.
However, during my visit, I did not see clearly marked separate arrangements for senior citizens, women, children, or persons with disabilities. Dedicated queues or facilities for these groups were not visibly apparent along the route I followed.
The first-day Mukh Darshan experience was, therefore, a mix of efficient crowd movement and visible security arrangements, alongside gaps in signage and devotee guidance. While the queue initially appeared overwhelming, its steady movement meant I was able to get Mukh Darshan of Lalbaugcha Raja in around 40 minutes - although the actual moment before Bappa lasted only a few seconds.
