Archive · 17 Aug 2026
Over 25,000 Devotees Bid Farewell to Kanbai Mata in Madhya Pradesh
People in two towns in Madhya Pradesh, India, celebrated a festival for a goddess named Kanbai Mata.
The festival lasted for three days.
At the end, thousands of people carried the goddess's idols in a big parade.
More than 25,000 people joined the parade in the town of Khetia.
The idols were placed in more than 300 homes and spots in Khetia.
In another town called Pansemal, 31 families kept the goddess's idol at home.
Usually the idols are dipped in the Gomai River, but this year there wasn't enough water because it didn't rain much.
So the idols were dipped in a special place called Gangaur Ghat instead.
People sang devotional songs, played drums, and offered homemade food to the goddess.
A famous singer named Anuradha Paudwal will sing at a special event on August 22.
More than 25,000 devotees gathered in Khetia for the farewell and immersion procession of Kanbai Mata, concluding the three-day festival.
Kanbai Mata idols were installed at more than 300 locations in Khetia this year, with families offering homemade bhog to the deity.
In Pansemal, low rainfall and insufficient water in the Gomai River forced the immersion to be moved to the Gangaur Ghat site.
Around 31 families in Pansemal installed Kanbai Mata idols, and the procession passed through Main Road, Gayatri Temple, Atal Chowk and Uttar Gali.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal welcomed the procession with flower showers, and a bhajan evening featuring Padma Shri Anuradha Paudwal is set for Aug 22.
Pansemal recorded only 213.4 mm rainfall this year, among the lowest in Barwani district, and the Gangaur Ghat immersion was a first in 54 years for sanitation branch chief Satilal Marathe.
- Who
- Over 25,000 devotees in Khetia and the Maharashtrian community in Pansemal, along with MLA Shyam Barde, municipal council president Shailesh Bhandarkar and other public representatives.
- What
- The farewell and immersion procession of Kanbai Mata, marking the conclusion of the three-day festival.
- When
- Monday, at the conclusion of the three-day festival; a bhajan evening is scheduled for Aug 22.
- Where
- Khetia and Pansemal in Barwani district, Madhya Pradesh, with immersion at Gangaur Ghat.
- Why
- To bid farewell to the deity at the festival's conclusion; the immersion site was changed due to low rainfall and insufficient water in the Gomai River.
- Festival
- Kanbai Mata festival
- Duration
- Three days
- Devotees in Khetia
- Over 25,000
- Installations in Khetia
- More than 300 locations
- Families in Pansemal
- Around 31
- Immersion site
- Gangaur Ghat (instead of Gomai River)
- Rainfall in Pansemal
- 213.4 mm this year
- Upcoming event
- Bhajan evening with Padma Shri Anuradha Paudwal on Aug 22 at Mandi premises