Everything you need to know about Ganesh Chaturthi
Ganesh Chaturthi is a 10-day festival celebrated in August/September every year. While it is celebrated all over India, Maharashtra is the epicenter of the festivities.
What is Ganesh Chaturthi?
Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated in honor of Lord Ganesh/Ganesha, India’s favorite elephant-headed deity. It is the birthday of Ganesha. The younger son of Lord Shiva and Parvati, Ganesha is the remover of obstacles. He is the lord of arts and sciences. He has 108 names. Hindus seek the blessings of Ganesha at the start of every ritual or ceremony because he is the God of beginnings. His blessings remove obstacles along the path and ensure success. Because of this reason, he is always worshipped first. Fondly called Ganapati or Vinayaka, Ganesha is unarguably the most popular Hindu deity. The only other deity with equal or comparable following is Krishna.
Lord Shiva with Parvati, Ganesh and Karthikeya
There are mainly two stories about Ganesha’s birth. According to one story, he was created by Parvati. The Goddess was waiting for Shiva’s return and decided that she would take a bath in the meanwhile. So she smeared haldi (turmeric) all over her body. Since Nandi (the bull of Shiva) was not at Kailash at that time, there was no one to guard the door while she was having a bath. So while bathing, she removed the turmeric paste and created a form of a boy out of it. She then breathed life into it. This was how Ganesha was born. Since Parvati didn’t want to be disturbed during her bath, she entrusted the boy with the job of guarding her door while she finishes the bath. When Shiva returned after a short while, he saw a young boy standing outside the door. Ganesha didn’t know who the visitor was and stopped him from entering. Shiva tried to reason with him and told him that he was the husband of Parvati, but the boy wouldn’t let him inside until his mother finishes her bath. This made Shiva furious. In a fit of fury, he severed the boy’s head and went inside. When Parvathi realized that Shiva had killed Ganesha, she became enraged. She insisted that she be killed too. Or else, she threatened that she would destroy the universe. Now Brahma who created the universe had serious issues with this decision of Parvati. He sought the help of Shiva and pleaded that he should do something to appease his wife. Shiva, who had cooled down by this time, promised to bring Ganesha back to life. He sent devas (gods) in search of the first creature that was lying dead with its head facing north. They found the head of the mighty elephant Gajasura. They brought it and Brahma fixed the elephant’s head on the child and brought him back to life. This is how Ganesha got his elephant head. Parvati had made yet another demand. She wanted Ganesha to be worshipped before all and thus he became the God of beginnings.
According to another popular legend, Ganesha was created by Shiva and Parvati upon the request of devas. They wanted a deity who would create obstacles (vighnakarta) in the path of demons (asuras) and remove obstacles (vighnaharta) in the path of devas. There is yet another legend and according to it, Ganesha was created by Shiva.
Whether he was created by Shiva, Parvati or both of them he is widely regarded as their younger son. He has an elder brother called Skanda or Karthikeya. Karthikeya is the most popular deity in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. At some point he was equally popular in North India, but his popularity declined over the centuries whereas his brother’s increased.
Here are some quick facts about Ganesh / Vinayaka Chaturthi.
The 10-day festival starts on Shukla Chathurthi which is the 4th day of the waxing moon period and ends on Anant Chaturdashi, the 14th day of the same waxing moon period.
If you want to watch the celebrations in all their glory, you need to be in Maharashtra for Ganesh Chaturthi because that is where grand scale festivities are organized. In Maharashtra almost every household brings home Ganesh idols on or the day before Ganesh Chaturthi. These idols are worshipped for one-and-half, three or five days and then taken for immersion in a nearby water body.
Ganesh idol getting immersed in the sea. Thousands of idols like this are immersed in the sea every year.
Community celebrations are the most spectacular. Colorful pandals (temporary shrines) are set up all over Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai. Huge idols are installed in these pandals and worshipped for ten days. Some of these pandals attract tens of thousands of devotees every day.
Maharashtrians have been celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi on a grand scale since the days of Shivaji Maharaj. Earlier this was a private celebration confined to homes. It was Balgangadar Tilak, celebrated nationalist and freedom fighter, who changed this event into a grand public celebration. He wanted Hindus to be proud of their culture and roots and conceived this celebration as a means of bridging the gap between Brahmins and non-Brahmins in the state.
Grand scale Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations are now being organized in the South Indian state of Kerala as well. This was started six or seven years ago and is gaining popularity rapidly. In Kerala, the deity isn’t brought home. Rather, it is installed in pandals set up outside temples.