CHENNAI, INDIA, September 9, 2019 (Deccan Chronicle): More than 2,300 Lord Vinayaka statues – worshipped in different parts of the city since Vinayaka Chathurthi was celebrated on September 2 – were taken in processions and immersed in the Bay of Bengal at Foreshore Estate and other beaches on Sunday. The beating of drums and dancing by devotees to a variety of devotional songs marked the processions that stretched to several miles across the city. The statues from Chennai, Kancheepuram and Thiruvallur districts were immersed at six different places. A majority of the statues were immersed in the sea off Foreshore Estate, many being lowered into the sea with the help of cranes.
The statues were taken in processions in vehicles and immersed in the sea over the past two days. Sunday was the final day of statue immersion and the city witnessed processions of Ganesha statues on several roads. The police made special arrangements for the processions, diverting traffic on several roads. As per an order of the Madras High Court, the statues were immersed in the sea within a three-day window.