Bhubaneswar: Ganesh Chaturthi or Vinayak Chaturthi is an auspicious festival for Indians worldwide celebrated in the Shukla Paksha of the Bhadrapada month which, as per the Gregorian calendar, falls in months of August or September. This year, the festival is being celebrated on August 31 i.e. today.
Lord Ganesh who is known as the God of beginnings is also known as the God of wealth, sciences, knowledge, wisdom and prosperity. This is the reason that people seek his blessings before starting any important work.
Historically, the festival has been celebrated since the time of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. It was during India’s freedom struggle that Lokmanya Tilak changed Ganesh Chaturthi from a private celebration to a grand public festival where people from all castes of the society can come together, pray and be united.
According to Hindu mythology, Lord Ganesh is remembered and revered before all gods, and it is with his worship that you can begin any new endeavour of yours. People believe he blesses true devotees with unending prosperity and good fortune.
The tale tells that Goddess Parvati made baby Ganesh with the use of sandalwood paste and asked him to guard the entrance while she was in the bath. However, when Lord Shiva wanted to enter the premises, Ganesh stopped him from the same. This enraged Lord Shiva and he severed baby Ganesh’s head.
When Goddess Parvati came to realize this fact, she was heartbroken. Lord Shiva promised her to bring baby Ganesh back to life. He went on to instruct his followers to search for the head of the first living creature that they notice so that they could replace it on Ganesh’s body.
His followers (the Ganas) came back with the head of a baby elephant and that’s how Lord Ganesha came back to life. It was then when Lord Shiva named him the leader of the Ganas, Ganapati.
Over years, people are becoming more and more cautious and are moving towards environmentally friendly way. This includes – getting Ganesha idols made of natural clay/ mitti and using only flowers and natural items for decorating the pandals.
The fun festival comes to an end with a ritual called Uttarpuja. After the ritual, Lord Ganesha’s statue is immersed in water, which is known as Ganpati Visarjan. The devotees then eagerly await for Bappa’s arrival the next year.
