Pune: The Shri Kasba Ganapati temple is facing an unusual dilemma following a rare and carefully managed restoration of its centuries-old idol. Nearly 900kg of shendur (orange powder) removed during the process has led to a surge in requests from devotees seeking its distribution as prasad. Before taking a decision, the temple trust has sent samples of the collected shendur to the state govt’s archaeology department for testing.The temple reopened on Wednesday after remaining shut since Dec 15 for the idol’s restoration and renovation of the premises. Devotees thronged the temple until the doors closed at 10.30pm, with even larger crowds returning on New Year’s Day to begin the year with a darshan of the restored idol.Vinayak Bajirao Thakar, chief trustee of the Gramdevata Shri Kasba Ganapati Mandir Devasthan, said more than two lakh devotees visited the temple on Dec 31 and Jan 1.“On Thursday, queues began forming even before 6am as devotees came to welcome the year with a darshan of the freshly restored idol. Many have been asking about the shendur removed from the idol and requesting that it be distributed in small quantities as prasad for their home shrines. However, the trust will decide on this only after receiving the test results from govt agencies, which are expected in a couple of weeks,” he said.Kasba Ganapati — Pune’s gramdaivat, or presiding deity — is believed to have been established in the early 17th century by Jijabai. The idol has since anchored the city’s cultural and religious identity and leads the annual Ganeshotsav immersion procession, making it both a historical symbol and a focal point of Pune’s devotional traditions. The trust’s pending decision on the shendur thus carries both spiritual significance and heritage responsibility.“We have grown up seeing Kasba Ganapati as the protector of this city. Even a pinch of that shendur given as prasad would be kept in our home shrine with great reverence,” said Priyanka Gaikwad, a resident of Dhankawadi who visited the temple on Thursday.Another devotee, Santosh Bhambure from Rasta Peth, said, “This shendur holds decades of people’s faith. Having a small amount at home would feel like receiving a blessing directly from the deity.”As queues continued to swell through the narrow lanes of Kasba Peth, the temple distributed pedha on Dec 31 and freshly prepared sheera on Jan 1.The restoration was undertaken in Nov after a layer of shendur began peeling off the idol. Thakar said experts and the head priest advised that restoration was necessary. “Specialists from the state archaeology department, along with Deccan College’s archaeology division and other heritage experts, guided the sensitive removal process to ensure that the ancient stone idol was not damaged,” he said.
