Vadodara: What if Ganesha darshan came with a little history lesson, a few city secrets and a whole lot of walking?A 22-year-old entrepreneur from Vadodara has turned pandal hopping into a unique city trail, inviting people to discover not just the colourful Ganesha murtis but also the stories, traditions and history behind some of the city’s most popular celebrations.The initiative, started by Valmik Rana this year, has quickly caught the imagination of devotees. Rana put out a social media post ahead of the festival inviting people to join him, and what began as a simple idea soon turned into a growing group of enthusiasts.“Ganesha Chaturthi is celebrated with great fervour in the city. There are several historic as well as new pandals, but thousands of devotees who visit them often don’t know the stories behind them. That is what made me start pandal-hopping this year,” said Rana.The group gathers at a common point before setting out on a festive trail across the city. Over the past eight days, hundreds of people, including non-Barodians, have joined the walks. Dozens turn up every day, with the group already having visited nearly 90 small and big pandals across the city.For people who have moved to Vadodara or are visiting the city during the festival, the initiative has offered a different way to experience its Ganesh celebrations. And there is more to the trail than simply admiring towering idols. Stories about the city’s Ganpati festival traditions and Gaekwadi-era rituals have become an important part of the experience.The group has also visited historic Ganesh temples in the old city and had darshan of the royal Ganesha at Laxmi Vilas Palace. But the trail is not ending with darshan. On the day of Ganesh visarjan, Rana and the group plan to take to the city streets once again, this time to experience the grand farewell to Bappa.Smita Patel, who has been hopping pandals from the first day, said, “I wanted to explore the pandals but didn’t have any company. When I learnt about this group, I immediately decided to join them. It’s been a trail full of fun and devotion. I got to know a lot of anecdotes about Ganesh festivals. Also, I felt very safe while travelling with the group and exploring different areas.”
