During the independence struggle Bal Gangadhar Tilak wanted to attain Swaraj and bring in reformation by steering all the patriotic forces through a public event. He commenced Sarvajanik Mandals of Ganesh festivities, thinking to appeal the people their religious instinct.
Tilak made Ganesh Chaturthi a mass celebration. He first used this platform to fuel patriotism in Pune after it received a good response. Tilak came to Belagavi where he asked Belgaumites to come together, and in 1906, the Zenda Chowk Ganesh Utsav Mandal was formed. Govindrao Yalgi and Gangadharrao Deshpande took out a procession of Tilak from Raliway station to Zenda Chowk. With the help of freedom fighters Govindrao Yalgi and Gangadhar Rao Deshpande, who were spearheading the freedom struggle in the Belagavi region, he arranged for a mass celebration in Belagavi. The first Sarvajanik Ganesha idol was installed in the residence of Govindrao Yalgi.
Later to accomadate the crowd the Ganesha idol was installed at a pandal at Zenda Chowk (now known as Madhyavarthi Sarvajanik Shri Ganapathi Utsav Mandal) and since then Zenda Chowk Ganesha Utsav Mandal has continued the legacy and was leading the celebrations. Tilak was here in Belgaum in 1905 and he himself laid the first bamboo pillar of the pandal and ever since then the legacy has been carried on by the Zenda Chowk Ganesh Utsav Mandal.
After that, five more mandals (groups) were formed and this made Belagavi a focal point for Ganesh Chaturthi even before Mumbai geared up for it. After attaining independence too, the mass celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi remained a much loved tradition. In Belagavi there are 6 Mandals which are a century old with Zenda Chowk Ganesh Utsav Mandal being the oldest.
In the last 107 years, the number of Ganesha idols installed in the pandals in the City alone was around 300, and over 3,200 idols are now being installed in the entire district. People belonging to different caste, creed, language and faith coming together to celebrate the 10-day Ganesh festival on a single platform is now a common scene. Ganesha festival celebrations have witnessed a sea change during the past century.
Zenda Chowk Ganesh Utsav Mandal now makes a collection of over a crore of rupees and uses the collected fund for various public service activities. From the year 2005, no public donations are collected by the mandal, all the expenses are borne by the interest received on the deposit. The Sarvajanik Mandal helps poor students and this year also organized a body building event.
People of all religions come together to help install the idol and decorate it and participate in the celebrations. Over the years, various communities coming together to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi can be seen as Tilak’s dream being realized. After the 11-day festivities the Idol immersion takes place at the man made water tank with 8 hour long procession.
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