In the first three days of Ganeshotsav, Mumbai’s iconic Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh Mandal has received donations worth Rs 3.18 crore in cash, including US dollars, 600 grams of gold and 12,000 grams of silver jewellery.

Lalbaugcha Raja is one of Mumbai’s famous Sarvajanik Ganesh Mandals, attracting lakhs of devotees every year during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. Not just common people, Lalbaugcha Raja is also regularly frequented by Bollywood biggies, politicians, and business tycoons during the 10-day festival.

Earlier this week, on the first day of the festival, Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited the puja mandal with his family. The Ambanis, Shah Rukh Khan, his son AbRam, and actor Ranveer Singh were also spotted taking blessings at the Lalbaugcha.

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Devotees’ offerings being counted at Lalbaugcha Raja in Mumbai on Friday, September 18

With the footfall comes donations — in crores.

Gold, silver, US dollars: Lalbaugcha’s donations

The donation boxes are opened every day after the puja rituals. According to the Lalbaugcha managing committee, the mandal received Rs 1.9 crore in cash in the first three days of the festival.

It also received 647.47 grams of gold worth Rs 98.9 lakh, and around 12,389 grams of silver worth Rs 30.35 lakh. The total valuation of the donation stands at Rs 3.18 crore.

The gold and silver donated to the Lalbaugcha include gold bangles, chains, silver pens, silver-carved cricket bats and more. The foreign exchange currencies are yet to be valued as per the day’s ongoing exchange rates.

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The donation boxes are opened every day after the rituals for assessment.

On the first day, the temple had received Rs 48.5 lakh in cash, 66.77 grams of gold and 2806 grams of silver. The next day, on September 16, the donation box contained Rs 88.9 lakh in cash, 226.12 grams of gold and 5,516 grams of silver.

On September 17, the mandal retrieved Rs 53 lakh in cash, 354.58 grams of gold and 4,067 grams of silver.

“The donation boxes are being opened and scrutinized by a team comprising officials of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), members of Bank of Maharashtra and the managing committee member of the Lalbaugcha Raja trust. The money received will be sent to the bank and will be used for various charitable works that are carried out by the organisation throughout the year,” a member of the trust told the .

The Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations started on September 14, and the 10-day-long festival will continue until Friday, September 25.