Ganesh Chaturthi was popularised as a public festival in Pune.

On 14 September 1893, Bal Gangadhar Tilak helped transform Ganesh Chaturthi from a largely private one-day observance into a major ten-day public festival in Pune, popularising the ‘Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav’ tradition as a platform for social unity and nationalist mobilisation against British colonial rule.

Before this, the festival was largely observed as a private family celebration.