After Pune Tilak started Ganesh celebrations in Belgaum
Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak who was fighting hard against the British raj, had a thought in mind that we need to get people aboard a single platform so that they can unite in the fight against the British and eventually help in the freedom struggle.
In 1905, Tilak lead the idea of celebrating the Ganesh Festival on a Public basis(Sarvajanik). Since then, the same is followed even now all over.
After commencing the Sarvajanik mandals for Ganesh Festivities in Pune, Tilak came to Belagavi where he asked Belgaumites to come together, and in 1906, the Zenda Chowk Ganesh Utsav Mandal was formed.
Tilak was here in Belgaum in 1905 and he himself laid the first bamboo pillar of the pandal and ever since then the legacy has been carried on by the Zenda Chowk Ganesh Utsav Mandal.
In Belagavi there are 6 Mandals which are a century old and the oldest is the Zenda Chowk Ganesh Utsav Mandal.
Govindrao Yalgi and Gangadharrao Deshpande took out a procession of Tilak from Raliway station to Zenda Chowk.
Zenda Chowk Ganesh Utsav Mandal now makes a collection of over a crore of rupees and uses the collected fund for various public service activities. From the year 2005, no public donations are collected by the mandal, all the expenses are borne by the interest received on the deposit. The Mandal helps poor students and this year also organized a body building event.
The number of Sarvajani (public) Pendals has gone up to 365 in Belgaum city this year.
For the next 11 days all will be busy with the elephant God.
Ganpati Bappa Morya !!