At Lalbaugcha Raja, Mumbai’s most revered Ganesh mandal, the spirit of devotion is as towering as the idol itself. For lakhs of devotees, a glimpse of Bappa means enduring serpentine queues that stretch from Lalbaug to Kalachowki, sometimes even reaching Parel.

For many, the darshan is as much a test of endurance as it is an expression of faith as they inch forward in sweltering heat, leaning against barricades for support or resting on pavements with blankets and bags.Crowd at Lalbaugcha Raja for Mukh Darshan (Glance at the deity’s face). PIC/ ANUSHREE GAIKWAD

With the crowd swelling into lakhs, devotees often camp on the footpaths overnight, waiting patiently under makeshift sheds. The mandal provides basic facilities such as lights, fans and shade near the pandal, but the long journey to darshan is still marked by exhaustion. “We had to spend the night on the road, but it doesn’t matter, as long as we see Bappa,” said a devotee from Thane.