We all know Ganesh Chaturthi is a 10-day-long Indian festival that we celebrate every year but do you know the significance attached to this festival?
If not. Let’s try to understand this today.
Ganesh Chaturthi, which is also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi is a very famous Hindu Festival that marks the birth of the beloved son of Lord Shiva & Goddess Parvati, Lord Ganesha.
| Famous Places for Ganesh Chaturthi | Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat |
| Prasad to Offer to Lord Ganesha | Modaks, Ladoo, Coconut, Jaggery |
During this festival, the followers of Lord Ganesha keep his idol at home and worship for his ability to bring good fortune and prosperity in the lives. They offer durva ghas, laddoos, and modaks to Sidhivinayak, and complete the worship with an aarti.
Lord Ganesha is known by 108 different names, the prominent ones are Ganapati and Vinayaka. He is the lord of arts and sciences and the deva of wisdom.
HISTORY BEHIND GANESH CHATURTHI
We all know that the elephant-headed deity is the son of Devi Parvati and Lord Shiva. There are different stories related to the birth of Lord Ganesha. It is believed that Goddess Parvati created Lord Ganesha out of dirt off her body while taking a bath. She set him to stand as a guard so that no one enters inside while she finishes her bath.
When Lord Shiva came back home, Lord Ganesha as was instructed by Goddess Parvati didn’t allow Lord Shiva to go inside. Due to this, Lord Shiva got angry and cut off his head. When Parvati came out and saw Ganesha, she got very furious and asked Lord Shiva to bring back Lord Ganesh’s life. Lord Shiva promised to do the same.
Lord Shiva sent many Devas in search of a child’s head facing north of a dead person. Devas could manage to bring the head of a baby elephant. Shiva fixed the elephant’s head with the body of Lord Ganesha and brought him back to life.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF GANESH CHATURTHI
Lord Ganesha is considered the god of prosperity and wisdom. It is believed that those who pray to Ganesha are set free of sins and it leads them on the path of wisdom and knowledge.
There are four main rituals that are performed during Vinayak Chaturthi. They are – Pranapratishhtha, Shhodashopachara, Uttarpuja, and Ganpati Visarjan.
GANESH CHATURTHI CELEBRATIONS
This 10 day festival is one of the most widely celebrated festivals as during this festival:
- Local communities compete with each other to put exceptional pandals of Lord Ganesha and do impressive displays
- Devotees of Lord Ganesha decorate their houses and even make rangolis.
- The phrase ‘Ganapati Bappa Morya, Purchya Varshi Laukariya’ can easily be heard in the local streets. The phrase means ‘O Father Ganesha, comes again early next year’.
- You can expect lots of music, crowded streets, and beautifully decorated idols of Ganesha installed publicly on stages.
LORD GANESHA VISARJAN
The immersion of Ganesha idols can take place on the first, third, seventh and tenth days of the festival. In the immersion ceremony, people dance to the beats of the dhol and loud music, distribute prasad, throw colours at each other, and perform aarti before immersing the idol of Lord Ganesha in the water.
FAMOUS TEMPLES OF LORD GANESHA
Some of the iconic temples that you can visit during Ganesh Chaturthi are:
- Siddhi Vinayak Temple, Mumbai
- Ashtavinayaka Temple, Pune
- Karpaka Vinayakar Temple, Thiruppatthur
- Kanipakam Vinayaka Temple, Chittoor
- Chintaman Ganesh Temple, Ujjain
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. What is the importance of Vinayaka Chaturthi?
By worshipping Lord Ganesha on Vinayak Chaturthi, people pray for good fortune and prosperity.
2. Who started Ganesh Chaturthi and why?
The festival finds its origin in the Maratha reign, with King Shivaji starting the auspicious festival. Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak made Ganesh Chaturthi a public festival where people from different sections of the society came together to pray to Lord Ganesha.
3. Is it good to gift Laxmi and Ganesh?
Gifting Lord Ganesha and Goddess Laxmi to someone else signifies redirecting the lords away from your home. Hence, it is not a good option to gift the idols of Laxmi and Ganesh.
4. What does Ganesh Chaturthi teach us?
Here are some teachings of Lord Ganesha:
- Respect your parents. They are your world
- Always accept your imperfections
- Be a good listener. Listen more than you speak
- Never give up
5. Is Ganesh Chaturthi a gazetted holiday?
Ganesh Chaturthi is not a public holiday. It is a regional holiday in certain parts of India like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh.
