Ganesh Chaturthi
Ganesha Chaturthi, also known as Vinayaga Chaturthi is the Hindu festival of Ganesha, the son of Shiva and Parvati, who is believed to bestow his presence on earth for all his devotees in the duration of this festival. It is the birthday of Ganesha who is widely worshipped as the god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune.
The festival is observed in the Hindu calendar month of Bhaadrapada, starting on the shukla chaturthi (fourth day of the waxing moon period). The date usually falls between 20 August and 22 September. The festival lasts for 10 days, ending on Anant Chaturdashi (fourteenth day of the waxing moon period). While celebrated all over India, it is most elaborate in western and southern India.
It is not known when and how Ganesh Chaturthi was first celebrated. But according to the historian Shri Rajwade, the earliest Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations can be traced back to the times of the reigns of dynasties as Satavahana, Rashtrakuta and Chalukya. Historical records reveal that Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations were initiated in Maharashtra by Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaja, the great Maratha ruler, to promote culture and nationalism
In 1893, Indian freedom fighter and social reformer Lokmanya Tilak transformed the annual festival into a large, well-organized public event. Tilak encouraged installation of large public images of Ganesh in pavilions, and also established the practice of submerging in rivers, sea, or other pools of water all public images of the deity on the tenth day after Ganesh Chaturthi.
Ganesh Chaturthi is the celebration of the birthday of the elephant-headed Hindu god Ganesh. The festival involves the buying and building of Ganesh statues, decorating and worshiping them at home and then at the end of the festival, immersing them in water. These were the small ones lined up around a temple on the corner just down the street from me. Families will buy and display small clay ones at home or give them to the temples as here.
Ganesh Chaturthi celebration at Trivandrum.
This statue was particularly cool, being made entirely of fruits and vegetables. A wonderful work of art I was glad I managed to stumble upon near my office. Families will buy and display small clay ones and communities will come together to build huge elaborate ones that are then carried down to a lake or ocean (sometimes miles away) for a raucous immersion. The processions are usually very loud, rather slow moving (naturally as you cart giant things around) and more or less block traffic for a couple days. In recent times, local and state governments have enforced special areas allowed for dunking as the annual volume and pollution of thousands of Ganesh statues were creating hazards and filling up water bodies.
Imersion of Ganesh Idols at Foreshore Estate, Chennai
