Omkar Dattatray
This year Ganesh Chaturthi falls on September 7 ,2024 that is Saturday & Hindus across India and in various countries on globe have celebrated the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi with enthusiasm and pomp and show on Yesterday that is September 7 .The 10 day festival is marked by Visarjan ,grand processions ,community celebrations ,worship and fasting to propitiate Lord Ganesh. Devotees bring an idol of Lord Ganesha to ten day festival and worship him for ten days ,though many people worship him for five or three days. Ganesh Chaturthi ,in Hinduism ,is a 10 day festival marking the birth of the elephant headed deity Ganesha ,the god of prosperity and wisdom .It begins on the fourth day {chaturthi} of the month of Bhadrapada -August-September ,the sixth month of the Hindu calendar .The festival is also called Vinayaka Chaturthi and has a special significance in Hinduism and it is celebrated with enthusiasm and great gaiety across the country and in state of Maharashtra ,this festival is celebrated in a very befitting manner with the participation of a huge number of devotees and it culminates with the immersion of Lord Ganesh’s idols in rivers and banks of the sea in Mumbai .Elsewhere in various parts of India ,the 10 day Ganesh Chaturthi festival is every year celebrated and idols of Ganesha are worshipped during 10 day festival and on the auspicious occasion of Chaturdashi idols of elephant God ,Ganesha are immersed in rivers and with the immersion of Ganesh idols,the festival comes to end .During the 10 days of the festival ,besides worshipping Lord Ganesh,devotees sing and dance and feel joy and jubilation and pray for the early return of Ganpati Bapa and sing Ganpati Bapa Mouriya Aglay Baras tu Jaldi Aaa.The celebration ,related to Lord Ganesha ,is observed for various reasons in various regions of the world.The birth of Lord Ganesha on Ganesh Chaturthi is one of the most well known reasons for the celebration of Ganesh Utsav.In states like Maharashtra,Karnataka,Tamil Nadu ,and other states,the festival is celebrated with a great fervor and enthusiasm.Puranas say that on the fourth day of the month in the Hindu calendar ,Saka Samvat ,devotees observe a fast and worship Ganesha on Chaturthi ,which falls between August and September.Even though Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated as Lord Ganesha’s birthday,freedom fighter Lokmaya Tilak revived the celebration of Ganesh Utsav in Maharashtra making it more popular and arousing feelings of patriotism among the people.Through his efforts ,the festival became a 10 day celebration.On the 10 day of the celebration,devotees carry Ganesha idols alongside singing ,dancing and moving to drench it in water.It is called Visarjana.It is considered very lucky to choose an idol of Lord Ganesha,because it is a representation of happiness and prosperity,a sitting Ganesha idol is suggested .In addition ,it would be ideal for the idol to depict one Ganesha’s hands in a blessing position and the other holdiong a modak ,a deity -favored sweet.It is essential to position the Ganesha idol so that it faces the north side and is erected in the northeast direction of your home.First pick a clean platform ,cover it with a cloth ,and set the idol on it.
It is believed that this position brings blessings and positive energy into home.As part of the purification ceremony ,rice and pure Gangajal -holy water should be sprinkled on the deity after it has been installed.Along with the idol ,you must also place Riddhi & Siddhi,which are representation of spiritual power and prosperity..At the start of the festival ,idols of Ganesha are placed on raised platform in homes or in elaborately decorated outdoor tents.
The worship begins with the ritual of Pranapratishtha ,a ritual to invoke life in the idols,followed by shhodashopachara,or the 16 ways of paying tribute.Amid the chanting of Vedic hymns from religious texts like Ganesh Upanishad ,the idols are anointed with red sandalwood paste and yellow and red flowers.Ganesha is also offered coconut ,jiggery,and 21 modaks-sweet dumplings ,considered to be Ganesha’s favorite food.At the conclusion of the festival ,the idols are carried to local rivers in huge processions accompanied by drumbeats ,devotional singing ,a ritual symbolizing Ganesha’s homeward journey to Mount Kailas-the abode of his parents ,Shiva and Parvati.Ganesh Chaturthi assumed the nature of a gala public celebration when the Maratha ruler Shivaji [C.1630-80} used it to encourage nationalist sentiment among his subjects,who were fighting the Mughals.In 1893 ,when the British banned political assemblies ,the festival was revived by the Indian nationalist leader Shri Bal Gangadhar Tilak .Today the festival is celebrated in Hindu communities worldwide and is particularly popular in Maharashtra and parts of Western India.In fact Ganesh Chaturthi also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi or Vinayagar Chaturthi ,is a Hindu festival that tributes Hindu deity Ganesha. The festival is marked with the installation of Ganesha ‘s clay murtis privately in homes and publicly on elaborate pandals -temporary stages .Observances include chanting of Vedic hymns and Hindu texts ,such as prayers and vrata-fasting.Offerings and prasada from the daily prayers ,that are distributed from the pandal to the community,includes sweets such as modak as it is believed to be a favorite of Lord Ganesha.The festival ends on the tenth day after start ,when the Murti is carried in a public procession with music and group chanting ,then immersed in a nearby body of water such as a river or sea,called visarjana on the day of Ananta Chaturdashi .In Mumbai alone,around 150,000 Murtis are immersed annually.Thereafter the clay Murti dissolves and Ganesha is believed to return to his celestial abode.The festival celebrates Ganesha as the God of New Beginnings and the Remover of Obstacles as well as the god of wisdom and intelligenceand is observed throughout the Indian subcontinent by Hindus ,especially in the states such as Maharashtra,Madhya Pradesh,Karnataka,Kerala,Odisha,Telangana,Andhra Pradesh,Tamil Nadu and Goa as well as Nepal.Ganesh Chaturthi is also observed by the Hindu diaspora elsewhere such as in Austraila,New Zealand,Canada,Singapore,Malaysia,Trinidad and Tobago,Guyana,Suriname,other parts of Caribbean,Fiji,Mauritius,South Africa ,the USA and Europe.Ganesh Chaturthi holds immense significance in Hindu culture ,symbolizing new beginnings and removal of obstacles.The festival is celebrated with great with zeal and zest in Maharashtra ,where grand pandals -temporary structures are set up to house beautifully crafted idols of Lord Ganesha.Lord Ganesha is known as the removers of obstacles .The festival serves as an inspiration for students to face challenges with resilience and determination.
The festival also inspires the students and other people to learn to approach problems with a positive mindset and seek solutions creatively.To close the write up,it can be said that Ganesh Chaturthi is not only a religious festival but also a significant cultural event that offers various lessons for students.Lord Ganesha is revered as the god of wisdom and learning.The festival encourages students to value education and seek knowledge.Lord Ganesha is known as the remover of obstacles .The festival serves as an inspiration for students to face challenges with resilience and determination.Ganesh Chaturthi fosters a sense of unity and communal harmony.The celebrations bring people of various faiths together.It also fosters unity in diversity and principle of co-existence.Muslims and people of other faiths participate in Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations and so this festival symbolizes communal harmony and mutual brotherhood.The Muslim potters make beautiful clay idols of Lord Ganesh and earn some income and they are actively involved in the grand celebrations of Ganesh Chaturthi. Thus the festival is the true reflection of cultural diversity.The festival is also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi or Ganesh Utsav .Lord Ganesha is also called ‘Vignahartar’ which means the remover of obstacles.The festival is a perfect opportunity for devotees to seek divine interventions for life’s challenges. In short we should celebrate the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi together by embracing communal harmony and religious diversity and thus respect and practice the beautiful doctrine of unity in diversity.May Ganesh remove all obstacles in the return and rehabilitation of KP’s to their original habitats in Kashmir.Tatha Astu.
(The author is a columnist, social and KP activist)
