GANESH CHATURTHI FESTIVAL 👏
Be it Diwali, Christmas, Holi, Id and Ganesh Chathurthi each and every festival is celebrated with equal joy, zeal and enthusiasm. One of the much awaited festivals is Ganesh Chathurthi which celebrates the birth of one of the most popular and prominent gods of the hindu pantheon. Ganesh Chathurthi is celebrated across the country, however, the celebrations are really special and on a grand scale in the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. The festival is spread over 10 days and is celebrated in the hindu calendar month of Bhadrapada, which falls during the months of August or September.
Ganesh Chathurthi is a very important festival in india. It is a festival to celebrate the birth of the elephant headed god (Ganesh ). The festival starts with the installation of clay ganesh idols in homes as well as in specially decorated Pandals. Everyday the idol is worshipped and Ganesh aarti is done, musical and other cultural programmes held. The Ganesh festival ends with the idol being taken in a procession and being immersed in the river or sea or any other waterbody nearby city.
(A) MYTHOLOGY BEHIND GANESH BIRTH : Legend has their views that once the goddess Parvati who is the wife of Lord Shiva created the idol of a boy from sand and mud, with her divine power breathed life into it. She made the boy stand guard as she went to take a bath and told him not to let anyone inside. At that time Lord Shiva came there and was stopped by the little boy who did not allow him to enter as per Parvati's bidding. Shiva in a fit of rage cut of the little boys head and he fell down dead. Parvati who saw what had happened was inconsolable and lamented the loss of the little boy that she had created and considered as her son. Shiva moved by Parvati's grief, he ordered his attendants called ganas to go and get the head of the first living being that was not with its mother. They came back with the head of an elephant calf. Shiva fixed the head of the elephant to the torso of the little boy and through his divine power brought it back to life again. Thus was the birth story of Shri Ganesh with the head of an elephant. All the gods blessed Ganesh and they gave him a boon that in any ritual or worship, he would be the first god to be worshipped.
The 10 days festival begins with the installation of the Ganesh idol in homes and decorated pandals. The idols are of different sizes, many of the idols are huge and brought in trucks to be installed. The Lord Ganesh idol is ritualistically worshipped for 10 days. The favourite food of Lord Ganesh is liked modak and laddoo are prepared and offered to god. Then it is distributed as prasad. The Ganesh festival celebrations reach a grand finale on the day of the immersion. The idols are taken in a procession to the river, sea, lake or any other nearest water body and immersed after due worship and prayers to the accompaniment of shouts of " Ganpati Bappa Morya Pudhchya Varshi Lavkar Ya ". One of the highlights of Ganesh Chathurthi celebrations is the organization of different music, dance and other cultural programmes during the ten days of the festival.
