lord ganesha

Ganesh Chaturthi
Birth of the First Worshiped God

Ganesh Chaturthi is a festival celebrated all over the Indian Sub-continent with great zeal and enthusiasm. Even though, it is a Hindu Festival , it is celebrated by people irrespective of their religious believes. Therefore, this festival fits perfectly with the “unity in diversity” motto of our country.

Why is Ganesh Chaturthi Celebrated?

Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated annually to mark the birth of Lord Ganesha. Lord Ganesha is considered as the God of new beginnings, wisdom and prosperity. The festival is observed on the fourth day (Chaturthi) of the waxing phase of moon (Shukla Paksha) in the lunar month of Bhadrapad. The month of Bhadrapad coincides with the month of August-September, as per the Gregorian calendar.

Lord Ganesha was given the name Vinayaka at the time of his birth, by his mother Goddess Parvati. Therefore, Ganesh Chaturthi is also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chavithi.

This festival is celebrated for 10 days, with the biggest spectacle taking place on the last day, a festival named Anant Chaturdashi.

History Behind the Festival

Ganesha is the youngest son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Lord Ganesha wasn’t actually born naturally but was actually created by his mother and has an interesting story behind his birth.

Once Lord Shiva was away form Mount Kailash (his home) on his heavenly stroll and Goddess Parvati was left alone for a long time. She suddenly remembered about her elder son, Lord Kartikeya which woke up her motherly instinct once again. So, she created a child like idol using the dirt from her body while bathing.

She then placed the idol beneath the Kalpavriksha. Kalpavriksha is a divine tree, that has the power to convert a desire into reality. After placing the idol beneath the tree, she prayed to the tree to give life to the idol she created. The Kalpavriksha answered her prayer by bringing the idol to life. The child that came to life was named “Vinayaka”.

Later, with his deeds Vinayaka inherited other names such as Ganesha, Gajanana, Ganapati and Vighnaharta etc. In all Lord Ganesha is know by 108 different names.

Celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi

standing idol of lord ganesha during ganesh chaturthi festival

The festival of Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated with great devotion and joy by Hindus throughout the world. In India, it is primarily celebrated in states such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana. However, the state of Maharashtra is famous for its grand scale Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations. During the festival, colourful pandals (temporary shrines) are setup and the Lord is worshiped for ten days.

There are 4 main rituals that are followed during the festival. These are:-

creation of an idol of lord ganesha
Pranapratishhtha of the Ganapati Idol
  • Pranapratishhthathe process of infusing the deity into an idol or murti.
  • Shhodashopachara 16 forms of tribute offered to Lord Ganesha.
  • Uttarpoojapooja ritual after which the idol could be shifted after its infusion.
  • Ganapati Visarjanimmersion of the Idol in the river.
The Pranapratishhtha and the Ganapati Visarjan are the major components of the festival. They are also the biggest attractions of all the festivities observed during the Ganapati Festival. Both these rituals are of utmost importance because they represents the life of  Lord Ganesha.
 
The ritual of Pranapratishhtha is important because Lord Ganesha was actually created as an idol using the dirt by his mother, so it represents the actual birth of the Lord.
followers carrying ganapati idol for visarjan
Ganapati Visarjan
The ritual of Visarjan is important because the water dissolves the clay idol of the Lord into its constituents. It represents the departure of the Lord to his home after staying with his followers for a period of the festival.
 
During the ritual of Shhodashopachara, out of the 16 forms of tributes offered to Lord Ganesh, Modak holds special significance. Modak is a delicacy made up of rice flour, jaggery, coconut and other dry fruits. Modak is also believed to be the favorite food of Lord Ganesha and is the primary offering made to him.

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