Bengaluru: Around 350 artistes are expected to participate in the 11-day music festival to begin from today as a part of Ganesha Utsava that is being held at National College Grounds in Bengaluru.
A replica of the Melkote temple kalyani (pond) will be the main attraction of the Ganesh Utsav. The 54th edition of south India’s largest Ganesh Utsav is being organized by Sri Vidyaranya Yuvaka Sangha. Playback singer Vijay Prakash and Annette Philip, founder of the Indian Ensemble of Berklee College of Music, USA, unveiled the 120×80 ft mantapa. The mantapa is designed by art director B Vittal.

Performers at Ganesh Utsava

Kannada devotional songs by Ramachandra Acharya on September 5, tribute to A R Rahman by Indian ensemble of Berklee (Sept 6), drum-jam by Ranjit Barot and team (Sept 7), Hindustani vocal by Venkatesh Kumar (Sept 8), film songs by Shaan (Sept 10), tribute to S Janaki by all-women ensemble (Sept 12), musical night by Bappi Lahari (Sept 13) and Vijay Prakash (Sept 14).

Special decoration at Maha Ganapathi Temple

Maha Ganapathi Temple on 9th Cross, East Park Road at Malleswaram is decorated with 10,000 corns on the occasion of Ganesha festival. According to S Kashi Vishwanath Shastri, main priest of the temple, around 100 people have worked to decorate the temple with 10,000 corns. “It took two weeks to decorate the temple. The decoration at the temple will be up to September 15,” Shastri said.

He said the temple was decorated with fruits last year and grapes the previous year.