Manache Ganpati Pune’s Five Ganpatis of Honour
The five most honoured Ganpati mandals of Pune, who lead the city’s spectacular visarjan procession in a fixed order every year - a living link to Lokmanya Tilak and the birth of the public Ganeshotsav.
Ganesh Chaturthi Monday, 14 September 2026·Visarjan Friday, 25 September 2026 (Pune)
What are the Manache Ganpati?
Among the thousands of Ganpati mandals of Pune, five are held in the highest regard - the Manache Ganpati, the “Ganpatis of honour” (maan means honour or precedence). On Anant Chaturdashi, when the whole city takes its idols to the water, these five lead the immense visarjan procession down Laxmi Road in a fixed order settled by tradition. No mandal moves ahead of its appointed place, and the great procession itself begins only after the first of the five, Kasba Ganpati, sets out.
Lokmanya Tilak and the Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav
Until the late nineteenth century, Ganesh Chaturthi was largely a private, household worship. In 1893, Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak reshaped it into a grand sarvajanik (public) festival - erecting community pandals, inviting people of every caste and walk of life, and filling the ten days with music, lectures and performances. Under British rule, which frowned on political gatherings, the festival became a rare space where Indians could assemble, share ideas and kindle a common national spirit. Pune, Tilak’s own city, became the heart of this movement, and its Manache Ganpati carry that heritage to this day. Tilak’s own mandal, the Kesariwada Ganpati, is the fifth of the five.
The five Manache Ganpati, in order
Each of the five carries its own history - from the guardian deity of the city to the mandal that stood for Hindu-Muslim unity - and each keeps its honoured place in the procession year after year.
The gramadaivat (presiding deity) of Pune and its most revered Ganpati. The idol was consecrated by Rajmata Jijabai, mother of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, when the Bhosale family settled in Pune. As the city's guardian, Kasba Ganpati is always the first to be immersed - the whole procession moves only after it sets out.
Named for the adjoining Tambdi Jogeshwari temple, whose goddess is a gramadevata (guardian goddess) of Pune. Founded in 1893 with the birth of the public festival. Unusually, the mandal installs and immerses a brand-new idol every year rather than keeping a permanent one.
Founded in 1887 - six years before Tilak's public festival - and cherished as a symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity, having been established jointly by Hindu and Muslim families. The name recalls the talim (a traditional wrestling akhada) that once stood on the spot.
Founded in 1900 in the famous Tulshibaug market. Known for one of the tallest idols among the mandals - a towering fibreglass murti - and for its elaborate, richly worked decorations each year.
Started by Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak himself, at the wada that housed his newspaper Kesari. Tilak, who reshaped Ganeshotsav into a public festival, made this Ganpati a hub of the nationalist movement. It is the last of the five to be immersed, closing the honoured head of the procession.
The visarjan procession
On Anant Chaturdashi the Manache Ganpati assemble and set out in their order of honour, winding through the old city and along Laxmi Road amid dhol-tasha troupes, lezim dancers, cymbals and the roar of “Ganpati Bappa Morya”. The procession is so vast that it runs day and night, often for more than twenty-four hours, as the five lead thousands of mandals to the immersion. Watching the Manache Ganpati pass - the guardian Kasba first, Tilak’s Kesariwada last - is one of the great sights of Pune, and the culmination of the ten-day Ganesh Utsav.
Frequently asked questions
What are the Manache Ganpati of Pune?
They are the five most honoured Ganpati mandals of Pune - Kasba, Tambdi Jogeshwari, Guruji Talim, Tulshibaug and Kesariwada - given precedence (maan means honour) in the city's Anant Chaturdashi visarjan procession, which they lead in that fixed order every year.
In what order are the Manache Ganpati immersed?
In a fixed order of honour: 1. Kasba Ganpati, 2. Tambdi Jogeshwari, 3. Guruji Talim, 4. Tulshibaug, and 5. Kesariwada. Kasba Ganpati, the gramadaivat of Pune, always leads; the wider procession moves only after it sets out.
Why is Kasba Ganpati the first?
Kasba Ganpati is the gramadaivat - the presiding deity - of Pune, with an idol consecrated by Rajmata Jijabai in Shivaji Maharaj's time. As the city's guardian deity it holds the first honour and leads the immersion procession.
What did Lokmanya Tilak do for Ganeshotsav?
In 1893 Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak transformed Ganesh Chaturthi from a private, household observance into a grand public (sarvajanik) festival - a way to gather people across castes and communities and build national spirit during the freedom struggle. His own Kesariwada Ganpati is the fifth of the Manache Ganpati.
When is the Manache Ganpati visarjan this year?
In 2026, Ganesh Chaturthi falls on Monday, 14 September 2026 in Pune, and the Manache Ganpati lead the grand visarjan procession on Anant Chaturdashi, Friday, 25 September 2026.
Last updated 28 July 2026