Two places make most of Mumbai’s Ganpatis. Pen, a town in Raigad district about a hundred kilometres south, is the industrial centre: several hundred workshops turning out idols from moulds, supplying Mumbai, the rest of India and the export trade. Pen’s Ganpati idols carry a geographical indication.
The other is Mumbai itself — the workshops at Chinchpokli, Lalbaug and Parel that make the large mandal idols by hand. Those are individual commissions, sculpted over months, and the sculptors are known by name.
The names
Mandals, places and people, with what each one is| Name | Where | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Pen1800s | Raigad district, about 100km south of Mumbai | Several hundred workshops; the industrial centre of idol making, with a geographical indication for its Ganpatis. |
| Kambli Arts1935 | Lalbaug | Three generations sculpting Lalbaugcha Raja; the best-known name in the trade. |
| Chinchpokli workshops | Chinchpokli | Where many of the large central-Mumbai mandal idols are made. |
| Lalbaug and Parel workshops | Lalbaug, Parel | Seasonal workshops that open from about May. |
| Vijay Khatu’s workshop1970s | Chinchpokli | One of the most celebrated Mumbai sculptors; the workshop continued after his death in 2019. |
| Shadu clay idols | Pen and Mumbai | Natural river clay; dissolves in water and is what the eco rules push towards. |
| Plaster of Paris idols1970s onward | Pen and Mumbai | Lighter, cheaper and allows taller idols; does not dissolve, which is the whole problem. |
| The aagman processions | Chinchpokli, Lalbaug | When the finished idols are brought from the workshop to the pandal, days before the festival. |
| Idol painting and ornament | Lalbaug, Pen | Separate trades: the eyes, the ornament, the daagina, all done by specialists. |
Worth knowing
- Pen supplies most of the moulded idols; Mumbai makes the big commissioned ones.
- Workshops open from about May and are worth visiting in July and August.
- Shadu clay dissolves; plaster of Paris does not, which is the core of the environmental argument.
- The aagman — the arrival procession from workshop to pandal — is a festival in itself.
- Pen is about three hours from Mumbai and can be done as a day trip.
More on Ganeshotsav
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A note on this page. Festival dates move with the lunar calendar and arrangements change every year. Everything here is a snapshot of Mumbai as of 2026, offered as a starting point rather than a live listing. Check timings, routes and darshan rules before you travel.
Mandal, temple, shop and company names belong to their respective owners. Inclusion is for independent discovery only, not endorsement, ranking or affiliation.
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