Mumbai, Sep 27 (IANS): Diplomats and commercial attaches from over 30 countries, including Deputy Governor of St. Petersburg, Russia, visited the home of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to celebrate Ganeshotsav, an official said here on Wednesday.

The tastefully decorated CM's official residence, 'Varsha' reverberated with the chanting of 'Ganpati Bappa Morya', bhajans, hymns and aartis by the foreign guests who prayed at the idol of Lord Ganesh there.

Several of the visitors took the pooja thali and performed the 'aarti' guided by the CM, and others joined by singing bhajans and hymns in praise of the elephant-headed God.

The dignitaries represented neighbourhood countries like Mauritius, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, plus Muslim nations like Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iran, United Arab Emirates and Turkiye.

From the far-off nations were representatives from Australia, Belarus, Finland, Hungary, Israel, Poland, Spain, Great Britain, Ukraine, Ireland, Italy, Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, and Colombia in South America. Diplomats or representatives from various Asian countries like China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, were also present for the occasion, said an official.

The foreign guests freely interacted with the CM, asked him questions on the state's biggest public festival, the different aspects of the worship (pooja) of Lord Ganesha during the 10-day and other details of the celebrations that will end with Anant Chaturthi on September 28.