Vinayaka Chavithi was celebrated with devotion and gaiety across Andhra Pradesh today.

People thronged temples to offer prayers to Lord Ganesh and performed Vinayaka Chavithi Vratham to the idols installed at homes.

Lakhs of Ganesh idols were installed in residential colonies across the state which will be worshipped for nine days.

A huge Vinayaka idol, said to be 58 ft tall, was installed at Khairatabad here with a ‘laddu’ weighing 3,500 kilograms. It has been the tradition for many years that a tall idol is installed at Khairatabad.

Governor E S L Narasimhan and several political leaders offered prayers to the Khairatabad deity.

With various government agencies and NGOs and media organisations undertaking a massive campaign to use eco-friendly Ganesh idols, the use of clay idols has increased manifold this year.

Ganesh Chaturthi was also celebrated in offices of ruling Congress, main opposition Telugu Desam and other parties.

In Rajahmundhry, over 500 Ganesh idols of various sizes were installed across the city and a large number of devotees were seen queueing up for darshan at the famous Vinayaka Temple at Iyannavelli near here.

source: http://www.Business-Standard.com / Home> General News / Press Trust of India / Hyderabad, September 19th, 2012