Pratiksha's........: Ganesh Chaturthi

Thursday, 1 September 2011

Ganesh Chaturthi

ll श्री गणेशाय नमः ll

"Vakratunda Mahakaya Suryakoti Samaprabha Nirvignam Kurume Deva Sarva Karyeshu Sarvada"

Today is Ganesh Chaturthi. It is celebrated on the 4th day of the Hindu month Bhadrapad. This festival marks the birthday of Lord Ganesha. This festival is celebrated with great devotion all over India, especially in Maharashtra & Gujarat. Lord Ganesha is one of the most popular deities in Hindu Religion. Ganpati is the Lord of wisdom. Any puja marks a beginning by worshiping Lord Ganpati. Puna in Maharashtra holds a cultural festival during these days. In 1893 freedom fighter Lokmanya Tilak popularized Ganesh Chaturthi as a national festival and encouraged this festival into a public event.

People bring home clay idols of Lord Ganesha and celebrate the festival by worshiping the Lord in a special way for a day and a half, 5 days, 7 days or 11 (till anant Chaturdashi) days depending on the family tradition and commitment of each individual. The main sweet dish during the festival is Modak - a dumpling made of rice flour stuffed with coconut, jaggery, cardamon and dry fruits. On the last day of worship the idol is taken out in a traditional procession to be immersed in water.

The Ganesh Festival at Lalbaug, Mumbai is very famous on. Below is the album of this Ganesh Utsav from year 1934 onwards. Worth viewing pictures.

Year 1934