Ganesha Chaturthi

Celebrate the birthday of Lord Ganesha, the god of wisdom and prosperity, on Sep 11, 2010.

Chaturthi or the birthday of Lord Ganesha is celebrated as per the cycle of the moon on August or September. The festivities last for 11 days following Ganesh Chaturthi and end on Anant Chaturdashi day.

This deeply loved elephant-headed God of Hindus is known by as many as 108 names. Some of these being Vignaharta, Vinayaka, Siddhivinayaka, Umaputra, Vigneshwara, Yashvasin, Vakratunda, Shweta, Nandana, Mangalamurti, Gaurisuta, Ganapati, Gajanana, Ekadanta, Akhuratha, Avighna, Buddhividhata etc. Lord Ganesha is popular for his ability to overcome obstacles and bring prosperity and fortune to those who love him. He is worshiped as the Lord of new beginnings and the guardian of entrances as well.

This festival is predominantly celebrated in Maharashtra, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The festivities begin with installation of Ganesha statues in homes and public diases. One should not look at the moon on this night. It is because of the belief that moon laughed at Lord Ganesha when he fell from his vehicle, the rat on which he was riding.

To invoke the holy presence of Ganesha into the statue, the ritual called as the Pranapratishhtha Puja is undertaken with recitation of mantras. Sweets, flowers, rice, coconut, jaggery and coins are then offered to Him and red chandan is applied on His forehead. On every day till Chaturdasi, prayers are held in homes and at public gatherings in the name of Lord Ganesha.

The statues are paraded through the streets with much fun filled joviality in the form of song and dance on Anant Chaturdashi. This journey ends with immersing the Lord into His resting place, a water body. This final act is to remind everyone that change is a universal truth and that in the end form dissolves and leads to a state of formlessness and only energy remains.