While the ten-day Ganesh Utsav will officially come to an end tomorrow with the immersion of all the big and small idols from homes and pandals, the Khawale Mahaganpati in Sindhudurg district will continue its stay. The festival is celebrated for 21 days by the Khawale household, as a 322-year old practice. The Khawale family believes that their revered Ganesha grants wishes of its devotees.<br />''<br />''As per the three centuries old practice, the Khawale family sculpts the Mahaganpati idol using the soil from their fields and without any mould. Almost six-feet tall idol is painted in white before its ritualistic worship on Ganesh Chaturthi. Besides offering special prayers on the third, fifth, seventh, 11th, 15th, 17th and 21st day, the family continues to colour the idol in bright red.<br />''<br />''On the final day, devotees can see the Managanpati idol in its full grandeur. This year, the festival will end on 20th September. Meanwhile, all preparations are in place for tomorrow's immersion day in Mumbai. A total of 73 natural immersion sites and over 150 artificial ponds will be available for Visarjan of Ganesh idols.<br />''<br />''<span style="color: #222222;">According to Mumbai's civic body, 786 lifeguards, 45 motor boats and over three thousand flood lights have been deployed to ensure safety of devotees. While traffic will be closed to 74 roads across the city, numerous diversions and parking restrictions have also been announced. The state's tourism department has set up an air conditioned pavilion for foreign tourists to witness the immersion ceremony at Girgaon Chowpatty. </span><br />