Ganesh Chaturthi- Festival Begins

Ganesh Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chaturthi. The Birthday of the Hindu God Ganesh.
This is a ten-day festival, starting from Shukla Chaturthi, which is the fourth day of the Waxing Moon period to the fourteenth day of Waxing moon, that is Anant Chaturdashi. This Year in 2018, it is on 13th Sep. It is normally celebrated all over India

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The Birth of the Lord Ganesha is not the simple one. Story Goes like, Goddess Parvati created Lord Ganesha out of the dirt off her body while having a bath and send him to guard her door while she finishes her bath. Shiva, who has gone out, returned at that time. Lord Ganesha without knowledge of Lord Shiva, stopped him to enter the palace. Shiva severed the head of Ganesh during the fight between two. Parvati enraged and Shiva Promised to make Lord Ganesha Live again, The devas who went in search of the Human head facing north ended up getting an Elephant Head. Shiva fixed the elephant head on the child and brought him back to life. That's why Lord Ganesha called by the Name Gajanana( Gaja means: Elephant). Lord Ganesha is the Lord of Wisdom. 

The celebrations were initiated by Chhatrapati Shivaji in the state of Maharastra, Karnataka, Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. Nowadays It is getting celebrated all over India even outside India by the Hindu communities.

Lord Ganesha chaturthi marks the start of the festival season across the country. In the state of Maharashtra celebrated in a Grand way. The Idol of Lord Ganesh ranged from the 3/4 inches to 30 meters in height. During the festivals, Streets are full of Colourful pandals with decorative lights.

There are four main rituals during the festival
1) Pranapratistha- The Process of infusing the Deity into a Murti(Idol)
2) Shhodashopachara- 16 forms of paying tribute to Ganesha
3) UttarPuja- Puja after which Idol could be shifted after it's Infusion
4) Ganapati Visarjan- Immersion of the Idol in the water Bodies.

Modak, the favorite sweet of Lord Ganesha, A sweet prepared using rice or flour stuffed with grated Jaggery, coconuts, and dry fruits. Foodies wait for the completion of the first ritual to get the Prasadam


Everyone in India can connect to their special feelings connected to Ganesh Puja in their locality. Other than the Local pandals, Ganesh Puja celebrated in Schools and colleges. Parents used to start their Children study in school and colleges. Schools used to be decorated and different types of completion used to be held in schools. It is the best part of children, as there are no classes conducted during the festival period. 

It is a grand celebration in the many small and big cities. Particularly in my Village, There are 3 pandals of the Idol. People used to contribute in a small amount to make it successful. There used to a series of the temporary shops selling a different range of material starting from the handcrafted materials to food items. People used to visit the Lord Ganesha Pandal during the Evening. THere used to be a cultural program everyday evening near to the Pandal. It has a variety of the Program ranging from Pala It has a musical performance with plays based on mythological stories and humorous incidents closely related to the culture of Odisha) to Dance performed by the Local talent. People used to come out and enjoy the evening. That is what a festival meant to our village people. Not just in our Village, I am sure that, all parts of India there is a specific way of Ganesh Puja celebration. Please comment below with the stories of celebration and Why it is special for you.

Finally, Everything comes with responsibility towards the society and environment. Preparation of the Idol cost lots of Plaster of Paris, which leads to the pollution of the Waterbodies during the Visarjan. Recently there are so many steps taken by the responsible people and Government to avoid the plaster of Paris in the process of making the idol and encouraging the more traditional way of the Making the idol with Clay. Noise pollution and high amount of electricity usage also lead to the environmental pollution. I am Requesting each one of you to reduce such pollution and make awareness in your society as a responsible Citizen.