{"id":30421,"date":"2020-08-20T07:28:28","date_gmt":"2020-08-20T05:28:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/no-problem-mam.com\/?p=30421"},"modified":"2021-01-02T13:11:11","modified_gmt":"2021-01-02T12:11:11","slug":"ganesha-chaturthi-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magikindia.com\/en\/ganesha-chaturthi-india\/","title":{"rendered":"Ganesha Chaturthi, the birth of the elephant-headed god"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ganesha Chaturthi is one of the main Hindu festivals. It celebrates the birth of Ganesh, the famous elephant-headed god, son of Lord Shiva and the goddess Parvati. Ganesh is supposed to have been born on Shukla Chaturthi<\/em> (the fourth day of the waxing moon) of the Hindu month of Bhadrapada (mid-August to mid-September). Ganesh symbolises wisdom, prosperity and good fortune. The festival is celebrated throughout India, but in some parts of the subcontinent, particularly in Mumbai (Maharashtra), it is the occasion for grand festivities.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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Ganesha’s birth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Ganesha statues workshop for Ganesha Chaturthi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One legend says that one day when the goddess Parvati was getting ready for a bath at her home on Mount Kailash,<\/strong> as she did not want to be disturbed she asked Nandi, Shiva’s divine bull, to guard the door and let no one in. Nandi stood faithfully at his post but when his master Shiva came home he naturally let him in. Parvati was angry but then she thought, “No one is as faithful to me as Nandi is to Shiva”. So she took some of the sandalwood paste she used to wash with and fashioned Ganesha, breathing life into him and acknowledging him as her son.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ganesha’s family (from left to right): his brother Kartik, his father Shiva, his mother Parvati<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Next time she took a bath she posted Ganesh at the door. <\/strong>When Shiva came home he found this stranger at the door forbidding him entry. Furious, Shiva ordered his army to kill the boy but none could do so; Ganesha, being the son of a goddess, had superior powers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Parvati creates Ganesha from sandalwood | BD : ACK comics<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Ganesha blocking the passage to Shiva | BD : ACK comics<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Shiva was surprised. Seeing that this was no ordinary boy, the usually peaceful Shiva decided to fight him and in his divine fury he cut off the young boy’s head, killing him instantly<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Parvati learned of this she was so angry she decided to destroy the whole world. Brahma, the creator of the world, begged her to reconsider. She agreed on condition that Ganesha be brought back to life and that he should always be worshipped before the other gods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Procession of Ganesha Chaturthi in Udaipur<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Shiva, realising his mistake, agreed to Parvati’s conditions. He sent Brahma out with the order to bring back the head of the first creature he met with its face turned to the north.<\/strong> Brahma was soon back \u2013 with the head of a great strong elephant, which Shiva placed on the boy’s body. He breathed new life into him and acknowledged him as his own son. He decreed that Ganesh would always be in the top rank of gods and be the leader of all Shiva’s troops, the Ganas \u2013 which is why Ganesh is sometimes called Ganapati.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shiva also declared that anyone who invoked the name of Ganesh before starting a new undertaking would be successful in it<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ever since, the elephant-headed god is invoked at the start of every religious ceremony and to bring good luck to any new project or venture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Moment of jubilation during the Ganesha festival<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Festival Highlights<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Altar in the house of worshipers, Rajasthan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ganesha Chaturthi is celebrated in different ways in different parts of India but traditionally people place Ganesh statues in their homes during the festival and in some towns temporary temples called pandals<\/em> are erected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brahmin priests perform a ritual called pranapratishtha<\/em> in the pandals<\/em> at the start of the festival;<\/strong> this ceremony symbolically brings the idols to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Procession of Ganesha Charturthi in Udaipur, Rajasthan<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In people’s homes, morning and evening arati (flame offerings) are made to the Ganesha idol accompanied by mantras and other offerings such as clean water, milk, flowers, or one of Ganesha’s favourite sweets, modakas or laddoos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Offering of sweet (laddou) by a little boy before the immersion of the statue (Udaipur, Rajasthan)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Traditionally Ganesha Chaturthi lasts 10 days. On the last day (Ananta Chaturdashi) which is also known as Ganesh Visarjan day, a farewell ceremony called uttar puja <\/em>is held,<\/strong> after which the Ganesha idol is carried in procession to be immersed in a holy river or other body of water after a procession in the street.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Immersion (Visarjan) of the statue of Ganesha<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

[ Ganesha Chaturthi in Udaipur, Visarjan ]<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n