Lord Ganesha festival.
By Vidyavati Chandan
3 Sep 2008
"Om Ganeshaya Namah!"
That's what most Hindus write or say at beginning of any auspicious occasion. This is a mantra for Success, Victory, Prosperity, Knowledge and Illumination.
Lord Ganesha is believed to be remover of obstacles, protector of innocent and a patron of art and science.
Lord Ganesha's various parts of the body has great significance. Large head to think big, large ears to hear more, small mouth to talk less, curled trunk stands for adaptability, small eyes to concentrate, large potbelly to peacefully digest all good and bad in life, axe in his hand to cuts all bonds of attachments and his vehicle, a tiny mouse stands for desire and suggests to keep it small and under control!
Lord Ganesha festival is celebrated to mark His birthday. It is the most colourful and joyous event in the religious, social and cultural life of India especially in Pune and Mumbai city. It is a wholesome occasion for ritual worship, prayers, and celebrations. It also means cheer, compassion, homemade sweets, spicy snacks and a variety of delicious preparations! Lord Ganesha is very fond of sweets and hence some special forms of sweets are offered to him during prayers everyday and which is later distributed to the devotees.
Before the festival begins clay idols of Lord Ganesha in varying sizes are made across the city. These idols are purchased and brought home or to the community hub on the festival day.
These clay idols are later immersed on 3rd, 5th, 7th or 10th day. The worshippers sing and dance as they take the idol in a procession to immerse it in a lake or sea. The waterfronts are packed with massive crowd of people carrying the idols and shouting "Ganapati Bappa Moriya, Pudhachya Varshi Lavkar Ya" (Oh victorious Lord Ganesha, return early next year!).
Lord Ganesha is also looked upon as the god of good harvest and hence after his immersion, the clay is brought from the waterside and sprinkled into the farms and storerooms for luck and abundance.
Lord Ganesha festival played an important role in India's struggle for freedom. At the crucial juncture of India's history when the nation was under the tyranny of British rule, Lokmanya Tilak, an Indian freedom fighter realizing the importance of the massive popularity of this festival initiated its nationwide celebrations in 1893. This became a platform for political awakening and revolution among people of India to gain freedom from British imperialism.
During the last 5000 years of history the concept of Lord Ganesha has reached most parts of the world and idols of Lord Ganesha in various forms have been found in Java, Indo-china, Nepal, Combodia, Tibet, Thailand, Vietnam and Srilanka where he is regarded as the protector and saviour of mankind.
"Ganapati Bappa Moriya!" (Victorious Lord Ganesha!)
2 responses
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Ken McElroy said (3 Oct 2008):
Very interesting and informative article to go with your beautiful images Vidi. Thanks.
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Maura Wolfson-Foster gave props (6 Jul 2009):
Fascinating - my heartfelt vote!
