Leeds Connect has successfully concluded the historic founding year of the Ganesh Festival, held from 14–20 September at the Ramgarhia Sports Centre in Leeds.
The seven-day celebration welcomed thousands of devotees and visitors from across England, including families travelling from Birmingham, Leicester, London, Newcastle, Nottingham, York, Cheltenham, Halifax and Huddersfield.
At the heart of the festival was the magnificent six-foot murti, specially created in Mumbai by renowned artist Santosh R Kambli before making an extraordinary journey by sea to the United Kingdom.
The festival began on Monday 14 September with a grand procession, Pran Pratishtha and Sthapna ceremony, followed by the official publication of the commemorative founding-year souvenir. Consul Ravindra Mohadikar from the Consulate General of India in Manchester joined the community for this historic occasion.
Throughout the week, devotees participated in daily Aarti, Archana, Mahaprasad, devotional singing, Ganesh Katha, Ganesh Nritya, meditation and special religious ceremonies. The festival also included an Abhishek Seva, attended by families in person and performed on behalf of devotees who were unable to attend.
A major highlight was the Saturday programme, featuring the Satyanarayan Pooja, community mela, food and non-food stalls, cultural performances, Bhajan Sandhya and Maha Aarti. More than 1,000 people were served Mahaprasad during the busiest day, reflecting the extraordinary dedication of the volunteer teams.
The festival was also honoured by the presence of the Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Stephen Holroyd, alongside councillors, community leaders, business representatives and distinguished guests. Visitors from different nationalities were welcomed and introduced to the meaning, traditions and values of Ganeshotsav.
The celebrations concluded on Sunday with the Manokamna Siddhi Hom Havan, final Aarti, Mahaprasad and an emotional Visarjan procession featuring music, Dhol-Tasha and Lezim. The procession recreated the energy and devotion of Mumbai’s Ganeshotsav while bringing together the diverse communities of Leeds.
The Visarjan was conducted in an environmentally responsible and symbolic manner, with the wishes submitted by devotees immersed following the Siddhi Pooja. The murti was then carefully packed and preserved so that Bappa can return to bless the community again.
Suhas Pawar, Chair of Leeds Connect, said:
“This Ganesh festival was not simply a seven-day festival—it became a divine energy that brought thousands of people together through faith, culture and Seva. We witnessed people arriving with tears in their eyes, families sharing stories of hope and devotees experiencing a deep personal connection with Bappa.
“This founding year has created history for Leeds. It demonstrated the strength of the Indian community while also opening our traditions to people from every background. IT has created a powerful cultural bridge between India and the United Kingdom under our message, ‘Faith Beyond Borders.’
“This achievement belongs to our volunteers, founding supporters, sponsors, artists, priests, performers, community partners and every devotee who offered their time, resources and prayers.”
Almost 200 members of the Seva Task Force supported the festival across Mahaprasad preparation and distribution, crowd management, parking, registration, stage management, cultural activities, stalls, hospitality, media, decorations and the Visarjan procession.
Leeds Connect expressed its heartfelt gratitude to the priests, sponsors, founding supporters, local businesses, performers, media partners, stallholders and volunteers whose collective dedication made the founding festival possible.
The organisation will now begin documenting the remarkable stories and learning from the inaugural celebration while preparing for the future return of Englandchaa Rajaa.
Organising committee Krupashankar Baral, Manohar Sisodia, Santosh Walke, Pradip Tailor expressed satisfaction over the grand scale of the celebration and expressed the inspiration the first event created and many more to come in the future.
This post was based on a press release issued by Leeds Connect
While you’re here, can we ask a favour?
South Leeds Life is published by a not-for-profit social enterprise. We keep our costs as low as possible but we’ve been hit by increases in the print costs for our monthly newspaper which have doubled in the last two years.
Could you help support local community news by making a one off donation, or even better taking out a supporters subscription?
Donate here, or sign up for a subscription at bit.ly/SLLsubscribe
