During the Peshwa era in Maharashtra, every village celebrated the arrival of Ganpati Bappa. But in 1892, revolutionaries like Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari and Vishwa Bhasavdekar introduced the Sarvajanik Ganesh Utsav in Pune, during which Ganpati pandals were set up across the city for everyone to come and see, and to participate in its rituals. “The people celebrated the utsav through public contribution,” says Pune based historian Mandar Lawate. The festival was also used as a medium to spread the message of Indian independence and promote the Nationalist movement in India. Awareness about the festival was spread across the country from Karachi to the far east in Bangladesh through Bal Gangadhar Tilak’s newspaper, Kesari.

During the Peshwa era in Maharashtra, every village celebrated the arrival of Ganpati Bappa. But in 1892, revolutionaries like Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari and Vishwa Bhasavdekar introduced the Sarvajanik Ganesh Utsav in Pune, during which Ganpati pandals were set up across the city for everyone to come and see, and to participate in its rituals. “The people celebrated the utsav through public contribution,” says Pune based historian Mandar Lawate. The festival was also used as a medium to spread the message of Indian independence and promote the Nationalist movement in India. Awareness about the festival was spread across the country from Karachi to the far east in Bangladesh through Bal Gangadhar Tilak’s newspaper, Kesari.