Legend and History of the celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi Festival


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Ganesh Chaturthi is a religious festival observed by Hindus to celebrate the birth of deity Lord Ganesha, the son of Lord Shiva and Parvati. In 2015, it is observed on Thursday, 17th September. Every year devotees partake in the festivities and this year will be no different.

 

Ganesha, one of the most beloved gods is known by 108 different names in our culture. He is considered to be a symbol of good fortune, wisdom, prosperity and wealth.

 

 

This festival is celebrated with extreme devotion and joy in many states of India and even outside the country. Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala, Tamil Nadu are some of the states that have been home to these celebrations since ages.

 

Legend of Ganesh Chaturthi:

Out of all the stories linked to the history of this festival, the most relevant one dates back to the time of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. It is believed that Parvati is the creator of Ganesha. The story says that Parvati used her sandalwood paste and created Ganesha in the absence of Shiva. She gave him the work of guarding her bathroom door while she was bathing. After Shiva returned home, Ganesha and Shiva got into a tiff due to which Shiva severed the head of the child. Witnessing this site, Parvati enraged and Lord Shiva promised getting Ganesh back to life. The followers searched for a child’s head facing north, but all they could find was an elephant’s head. And that’s how Ganesh was born.

 

History of the Ganesh Chaturthi Feastival:

The exact date of starting of puja on the Ganesha Chaturthi festival is not known by anyone. However, according to the history it has been estimated that Ganesh Chaturthi was  celebrated as a public event in the Pune during the time of Shivaji(1630 - 1680). Since Shivaji’s time, Ganesh Chaturthi was celebrated regularly as Ganesha was Kuladevata of their empire. After end of Peshwas, it remained as a family celebration. However, it was revived again in 1893 by the Lokmanya Tilak.

 

Ganesha Chaturthi was celebrated by the Hindu people as an annual domestic festival with  huge preparation. Gradually, it was celebrated as a national festival to remove the conflicts between Brahmins and non-Brahmins as well as bring unity among people. People in the Maharashtra started celebrating this festival with lots of courage and nationalistic fervour during the British rule. The ritual of Ganesh Visarjan was established by the Lokmanya Tilak.

 

Gradually, this festival was celebrated by the people through community participation instead of family celebration. People of the society and community, get together to celebrate this festival as a community festival and to perform intellectual speech, recite poetry, dance, devotional songs, play, musical concerts, folk dances, recite mantras, aarti and many more activities in the group. People meet together before date and decide everything about celebration as well as how to control over large crowd.

 

Celebration of the Festival:

Weeks before Ganesh Chaturthi, excitement settles in. Various artistic clay models, varying in sizes and poses, are prepared by the artisans.

 

These statues are installed in colorfully decorated ‘pandals’ in homes, localities and temples. Garlands and lights add up to the beauty of the statue. A ritual known as Pranapratishhtha, that involves chanting of mantras by the priest is a common sight seen.

 

After this, the prayers are offered in 16 different ways in a ritual called Shhodashopachara. Finally, there is a ritual known as Uttarpuja, which means bidding farewell to lord Ganesha with due reverence. After this ritual, there is a ceremony of immersing the statue in water, which is known as Ganpati Visarjan.

 

‘Ganpati Bappa Morya, a common chanting that evokes the feelings of devotees is commonly heard during celebrations.This festival not only involves prayers, but also takes in account the time for cultural activities like dancing, singing, orchestra and theatre performances. A lot of community activities are also a part of the celebrations.

 

The main attraction for foodies in this festival is Modak, a dumpling of rice or flour stuffed with grated jaggery, coconuts and dry fruits. Karanji, similar to modak is another famous dish that makes an indispensable part of the celebrations.



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