Ganesh Chaturthi

Who is Ganesha?

Mythology has it that Ganesha, who is also known as Vinayak or Pillayar, was created by Parvati. She made the figure out of sandalwood paste and breathed life into him. Parvati set him to the work of guarding her when she bathed.

Later, when Shiva came home, Ganesha and Shiva got into a tussle which resulted in Shiva severing Ganesha's head. Parvati, enraged at this act of Shiva, demanded that Ganesha be brought back to life.

What is Ganesh Chaturthi? 

Shiva, who promised Parvati, searched for the severed head. Even after the combined effort of Shiva and the devas, the head could not be found. Instead, they found the head of an elephant. The elephant's head was fixed on to Ganesha's body and thus, Lord Ganesha came into existence.

Ganesh Chaturthi is the Hindu festival which observes the birthday of Lord Ganesha. The festival falls on the Hindu month of Bhadrapada (mid August- mid September). The festival lasts for ten days and ends on the fourteenth day of the waxing moon period.

Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated throughout India. However, it is celebrated elaborately in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Goa. It is also celebrated in places outside India which have a fair share of the Hindu diaspora.

How is it celebrated?

Many weeks or months before Ganesh Chaturthi, sculptors start making life-sized clay models of the idol. Many idols of varying sizes and colours adorn the streets. They are placed on pedastals under temporary pandals or mandaps.

The Ganesha idols are decorated with garlands and lights, fruits and flowers are offered. Money is collected from the respective neighbourhood for the pandal erections and decorations.

Prasad, which also come as contributions from different households, are distributed after the evening pooja.

Celebrations at home:- 

Simple clay models of Lord Ganesha are also available in the markets. Even to this day, traditional and orthodox families make these clay statues at home.

Flowers and durva grass or arukampul are used during the pooja along with chanting of mantras.

Modak, a steamed preparation made using rice flour dumpling stuffed with jaggery, grated coconut and dry fruits is offered to Lord Ganesha on this special day. Laddu, paayasam are other delicacies made on this occasion and are offered along with the modak.

Festivities conclude:- 

As per traditions followed in different states and different families, the celebrations come to an end after 1, 3, 5, 7, or 11 days. By the end of the celebration, the idol is taken to a large water body for immersion. Usually, there is a long procession involved in taking the huge idols to the lake, river, or sea. People dance, sing, and celebrate during this procession. Now-a-days, due to environmental reasons, families immerse the clay statue inside a bucket of water and let it disintegrate.

Historical Significance :- 

It is not known when and how Ganesh Chaturthi was first celebrated.

Ganesh festival was being celebrated as a public event in Pune since the times of Shivaji (1630–1680), the founder of the Maratha Empire.

The Peshwas, the de facto hereditary administrators of the Empire from 1749 till its end in 1818, encouraged the celebrations in their administrative seat Pune as Ganesha was their family deity (Kuladevata).

With the fall of the Peshwas, Ganesh festival lost state patronage and became a private family celebration again in Maharashtra till its revival by Indian freedom fighter and social reformer Lokmanya Tilak.

The public festival as celebrated in Maharashtra today, was introduced by Bhausaheb Laxman Javale in 1892 by installing first Sarvajanik (Public) Ganesh idol. This followed a meeting at his residence, which was attended by, amongst others, Balasaheb Natu, and Krishnajipant Khasgiwale. Khasgiwale on his visit to the Maratha ruled princely state of Gwalior had seen the tradition of public celebration still maintained and brought it to the attention of his friends in Pune. 

In 1893 Lokmanya Tilak praised the concept of Sarvajanik Ganesh Utsav in his newspaper, Kesari, and the next year he installed a Ganesh idol in Kesari Wada too. Tilak's efforts transformed the annual domestic festival into a large, well-organized public event. Tilak recognized the wide appeal of the deity Ganesha as "the god for everybody",and popularized Ganesh Chaturthi as a national festival in order "to bridge the gap between Brahmins and 'non-Brahmins' and find a context in which to build a new grassroots unity between them", and generate nationalistic fervour among people in Maharashtra against the British colonial rule.Tilak was the first to install large public images of Ganesh in pavilions, and also established the practice of submerging the idols in rivers, sea, or other pools of water on the tenth day after Ganesh Chaturthi.

Under Tilak's encouragement, the festival facilitated community participation and involvement in the form of intellectual discourses, poetry recitals, performances of plays, musical concerts, and folk dances. It served as a meeting ground for people of all castes and communities in times when, in order to exercise control over the population, the British discouraged social and political gatherings