Set At The Heart Of Ganesh Festivities, International Ganesh Festival 2023 Offered An Unparalleled Itinerary Unveiling The Treasures Of Maharashtra

The Directorate of Tourism, Maharashtra's unprecedented initiative, the International Ganesh Festival 2023 was conceived to promote and celebrate the significance of Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations on a global scale and they emerged victorious. To give media professionals, content creators, travel reviewers, and agents a closer look at Maharashtra's history, culture, religion, and traditional experiences, Maharashtra Tourism introduced curated itineraries covering Maharashtra’s gems, Mumbai, Palghar, Pune and Ratnagiri. 

A Beautiful Blend Of The Explored And Unexplored 

Maharashtra Tourism’s thoughtfully curated itinerary offered a fusion of the vibrant experiences of the metro cities and the tranquility of the smaller, lesser-known destinations. The event commenced with arrival at Palghar, a small town in Maharashtra, home to untouched tourist attractions like Kelwa Beach, and Dhekale Dam. The highlight of the place was the community unity, locals coming together for colourful processions, local Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, tribal dances, and authentic Maharashtrian delicacies. 

After exploring Palghar for two days, we headed to Mumbai, the city that never sleeps where Ganesh Chaturthi unfolded as a grand spectacle. As we made it to Mumbai, the city was already blanketed in extravagant celebrations, Mumbaikars thronging the streets, lavish processions, and elaborate decorations. 

Surreal Ganpati Darshans

Maharashtra gets a whole new flavour when it is Ganpati time and if you have been lucky to experience it, you know it is inexpressible. MTDC's one-of-a-kind itinerary was specifically curated to make us all plunge into the fervent celebrations at the International Ganesh Festival 2023. The darshans at revered Ganpati pandals across Mumbai and Palghar were surreal, to say the least, be it at the locally cherished pandals or the frequently visited ones like the Siddhivinayak Temple, Parelcha Raja, GSB Pandal, all thanks to the seamless arrangements by MTDC. 

Activities Wrapped In Indigenous Flavours 

The experience encompassed not just being a part of the Ganpati celebrations but also participation in local activities like visits to the farms, tribal villages, museums, rural walks, exploring local cuisines, and trying local arts and crafts among others. Native to Palghar is the Tarpa dance, a cultural activity by the tribals in the area performed during festivities, which was the highlight of Day 1 along with a visit to Dhekale, a tribal village for a heritage walk and a visit to the local Ganesh Pandals. For the next two days, the experientials followed with local home visits for Ganesh Poojan, interactions with locals at Vikram Garh, Worli art hands-on experience, and lunch at authentic Maharashtrian restaurants to name a few. 

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Mumbai Roundup

The last day was kept for Mumbai sightseeing, driving pass through the Marine Drive, Gateway Of India, Colaba Causeway, Lion Gate, Asiatic Library, CST, visit to the NMIC (National Museum Of Indian Cinema) set in the heart of Bollywood. 

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Overall, the first ever edition of International Ganesh Festival by Maharashtra Tourism was truly unparalleled, offering a deep cultural understanding of Maharashtra as a whole amidst the splendid festivities.