It’s that time of the year again to bring Lord Ganesha home. Pavement shops and neighborhood shops proudly display their beautifully sculpted and colorful Ganesha idols, people begin to clean and decorate their homes for the special guest, and kids and youngsters in every community make plans for cultural programs…you can feel the excitement in the air. The excitement and joyous anticipation that herald the advent of yet another Ganesh Chaturthi celebration!
Who is Lord Ganesha?
The god with an elephant’s head. The son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. The scribe for Sage Vyasa. The One who removes obstacles. The deity of good fortune, abundance, wisdom, arts, sciences, and knowledge. The brother of Lord Kartikeya. All these descriptions apply to Ganesha.
It is said that Parvati created him using the dirt from her body. Some versions say she used turmeric paste or clay. The goddess wanted someone to guard her chamber while she took her bath. So she breathed life into her creation and considered the young boy to be her son. However, Shiva beheaded him when the boy refused to let him enter Parvati’s chamber. To placate a distraught Parvati, Shiva replaced his head with an elephant’s head. This is the most popular story of Ganesha’s birth.
Ganesh Chaturthi celebrates the birthday of Ganesha. It is celebrated grandly in many Indian states, especially in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Hindus living abroad also celebrate it with great fervor.
Ganesh Chaturthi and Mahabharata
Among some communities, this festival is celebrated to mark the writing of the Mahabharata. The story goes that Ganesha wrote the epic while Sage Vyasa dictated it to him. Ganesha asked the sage to recite it without any pauses. While writing the epic, his pen broke, so he broke a part of his tusk and continued to write. Supposedly, the writing took 10 days. On the 11th day, clay was applied to Ganesha's body, and he bathed in a river. Hence, the 10-day celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi and the immersion of Ganesha idols on the 11th day in water bodies.
Rituals of Ganesh Chaturthi
The Ganesha Pooja on this occasion features 4 major rituals – Pranapratishhtha, Shodashopachara, Uttarpooja, and Ganapati Visarjan. During Pranaprathishhtha, the Ganesha idol is created. Devotees place the idol on a public Pandal or in their home. They offer prayers and sing devotional hymns praising Ganesha. During Shodashopachara, there are 16 types of prayers. These include decorating the idol with flowers and offering sweets that Ganesha loves, like laddoos and modaks. Uttarpooja occurs right before Visarjan or the immersion. The idol is taken to the water body. During Visarjan, the final ritual, the idol is immersed in the sea.
History of Ganesh Chaturthi Celebrations
It was Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Maratha Empire, who began celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi during 1630-1680. Ganesha was the Kuladevata or family deity of the Peshwa chieftains. After the decline of the Peshwas, the celebrations took place only in private homes.
Later, in 1893, the freedom fighter and nationalist Lokmanya Tilak revived the tradition and made it a large public event. At this time, the British government had banned social and political gatherings in India. But, after Tilak revived it, the celebration became a vehicle to generate patriotic feelings and brought together people from all castes and communities who were against colonial rule.
On Ganesh Chaturthi, devotees offer worship to Ganesha idols, perform Aarti, and make offerings (Prasad) of fruits and sweets, like laddoos, modaks, barfi, etc., which are the favorite sweets of Ganesha. Artisans make clay idols of Ganesha in all sizes several months in advance. Devotees buy them to offer worship at home. On the final day, devotees bid farewell to Ganesha by immersing the idols in water bodies, with a prayer requesting Ganesha to visit them again the next year.
Ganesh Chaturthi Celebrations in Different States
Maharashtra & Gujarat
The preparations begin weeks before the day of Ganesh Chaturthi. Artisans make clay idols of Ganesha and paint them. Earlier, idols of plastic and papier mache were available, but as these are non-biodegradable and pollute the waterbodies, clay idols are more preferred now.
People install idols of Ganesha at home, on the streets, and in their neighborhoods. There will be cultural events, rituals, poetry, musical events, folk and classical dance, social welfare programs like blood donation, etc., during the 10 days of the festival. On the 10th day, there will be grand processions as crowds make their way to the waterbodies for the immersion.
Kerala
The people of Kerala call the festival Vinayaka Chathurthi, and it falls in the month of Chingam (Aug-Sept). Chingam is the first month of the year in the Malayalam Calendar.
Karnataka
In Karnataka, the festivities begin with the worship of Goddess Gauri/Parvati. There will be celebrations in several temples. Women worship Ganesha for prosperity and Goddess Gauri for a long and happy married life.
Andhra Pradesh
In Hyderabad, large crowds of people gather to see the Ganesha idol. This is one of the tallest Ganesha idols that are installed for the festival. The immersion will be in the Hussain Sagar Lake.
Madhya Pradesh
Temples like Khajrana Ganesh temple, Indore, and Chintaman Ganesh temple, Ujjain, witness huge crowds who come to take part in the festivities. There will be Poojas and various cultural events in many neighbourhoods.
Goa
In Goa, people refer to Ganesh Chaturthi as Chovoth. A matoli is set up, and people worship the idol with Poojas, Bhajans, and Aartis. Sweets and savory food items are also distributed. There will be special vegetarian meals, too. Finally, the devotees immerse the Ganesha idols in the sea.
Ganesh Chaturthi in Other Countries
Countries like Mauritius, Thailand, Canada, Singapore, Cambodia, Burma, the US, UK, and Fiji also celebrate this festival, as there is a large Indian diaspora in these countries. Ganesh Chaturthi is a public holiday in some of these countries.
USA, UK, and Canada
Cities like London, Toronto, and New Jersey have a sizeable Indian community. So, many Indians living in these places celebrate the festival as a way of keeping their traditions alive. They observe the same rituals in their homes. They also visit temples nearby and take part in the celebrations there. In Hounslow, a town in London, more than 5000 people take part in the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations. The idol is installed at the Laxmi Narayan Temple, where there is a grand Aarti, traditional food, dances, and a fancy dress competition. It culminates in a procession to Ham, where they immerse the idol in the Thames. Volunteers and police accompany the devotees to ensure people’s safety.
Mauritius
In Mauritius, 52% of the total population is Hindu. The first day of the festival is a public holiday here. It was the Bhiwajee family that first held the celebrations in 1896. It was at Cascade Valley in Henrietta. They observe the tradition even today. People install Ganesh idols of clay at homes and temples. They visit temples and offer aarti on this day and perform a traditional dance.
France
The celebrations take place at Sri Manikka Vinayakar temple, the largest Hindu temple in France. Devotees worship Ganesha with great zeal and fervor. The festival ends with a chariot procession of the Utsava Murti. Thousands of devotees wearing traditional clothes pull the chariot. Two water trucks go before the procession and wash the roads to purify the road for the deity. People of other nationalities, like Sri Lankans, the French, and Europeans, also participate in the procession. The procession makes its way through the roads of Paris for 4 miles and then returns to the temple.
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