Happy Ganesha Chaturthi

 

Happy Ganesha Chaturthi Beautiful Souls!

Ganesh Chaturthi is a ten-day Hindu festival celebrated to honour lord Ganesha's birthday, younger son of Lord Shiva and Maa Parvati. Ganesha is known by 108 different names and is the Lord of arts and sciences and the God of widsom. He is honoured at the start of rituals and ceremonies as he's considered the God of beginnings. He's widely, belovedly known as Ganapati or Vinayaka.

There are two different versions about Ganesha's birth. One has it that Maa Parvati created Ganesha out of dirt off her body while having a bath and set him to guard her door while she finishes her bath. Shiva who has gone out, returned at that time, but as Ganesha didn't know of him, stopped him from entering. An angry Shiva severed the head of Ganesha after a combat between the two. Parvati was enraged and Shiva promised Ganesha will live again. The devas who went in search of a persons head facing north could manage only the head of an elephant. Shiva fixed elephant's head on the child and brought him back to life.

According to another interpretation, Lord Ganesha was created by Shiva and Parvati on request of the Devas, to be a vighnakartaa (obstacle-creator) in the path of rakshasas (demonic beings), and a vighnahartaa (obstacle-averter) to help the Devas. This year, September 10th marks the beginning of this festival which is also called as Vinayaka Chaturthi. This festival begins on Shukla Chaturthi which is the fourth day of the waxing moon period, and ends on the 14th day of the waxing moon period known as Anant Chaturdashi.

Maharashtra is the state known for grand scale Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations. During the festival, colourful pandals (temporary shrines) are setup and the Lord is worshipped for ten days.

There are four main rituals during the festival -

Pranapratishhtha - the process of infusing the deity into a murti or idol.

Shhodashopachara - 16 forms of paying tribute to Ganesha.

Uttarpuja - Puja after which the idol could be shifted after it's infusion.

Ganpati Visarjan - immersion of the Idol in the river.

The festival was first celebrated as a public event since the time of Maratha King Shivaji, but a Sarvajanik (Public) Ganesh idol was installed first by Bhausaheb Laxman Javale. Lokmanya Tilak changed the festival from a private celebration to a grand public event "to bridge the gap between Brahmins and non-Brahmins and find an appropriate context in which to build a new grassroots unity between them".

Lord Ganesha is so popular that he is also worshipped in Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Nepal and China.

Jai Shri Ganesh Jai Shri Mahesh!