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Ganesh Chaturthi

Observed by Hindus

Type Religious, folk

Begins Bhadrapada shukla chaturthi

Ends Anant Chaturdashi

Date August/September

2012 date 19 September

2013 date 9 September

Celebrations Setting up Pandals, street

processions and idol immersion

Ganesh ChaturthiFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ganesha Chaturthi is the Hindu festival celebrated onthe birthday (rebirth) of Lord Ganesha, the son of Shivaand Parvati.

It is believed that Lord Ganesh bestows his presence onearth for all his devotees during this festival. It is the daywhen Ganesha was born. Ganesha is widely worshippedas the god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune andtraditionally invoked at the beginning of any new ventureor at the start of travel. The festival, also known asVinayaka Chaturthi ("festival of Ganesha") is observedin the Hindu calendar month of Bhaadrapada, starting onthe shukla chaturthi (fourth day of the waxing moonperiod). The date usually falls between 19 August and 20September. The festival lasts for 10 days, ending onAnant Chaturdashi (fourteenth day of the waxing moon period).

While celebrated all over India, it is most elaborate in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Goa, AndhraPradesh, Karnataka, Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Outside India, it is celebrated widely in Nepal and by Hindus in

the United States, Canada, Mauritius,[1] Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma, Fiji, Trinidad &Tobago, and Guyana.

Contents

1 Legend

2 Date3 Celebration, rituals and tradition

3.1 In Hinduism3.2 Outside India

4 History

5 Environmental impact

6 Gallery

7 See also

8 Notes

9 External links

Legend

Main article: Ganesha

Traditional ganesh hindu stories tell that Lord Ganesha was created by goddess Parvathi, consort of Lord Shiva.Parvati created Ganesha out of sandalwood paste that she used for her bath and breathed life into the figure.She then set him to stand guard at her door while she bathed. Lord Shiva returned and, as Ganesha didn't knowhim, he didn't allow him to enter. Lord Shiva became enraged and asked his follower ghosts to teach the child

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some manners. Ganesha was very powerful, being born of Parvati, the embodiment of shakti (or power). Hedefeated the ghost-followers (called "Ghana"s) and declared nobody was allowed to enter while his mother wasbathing. The sage of heavens, Narada, along with the Saptarshi (the seven wise rishis) sensed a growing turmoiland went to appease the boy with no results. Angered, the king of Gods, Indra attacked the boy with his entireheavenly army but even they didn't stand a chance. By then, this issue had become a matter of pride for Parvathiand Shiva.

After the devas were defeated, the trinity, the controller, preserver and destroyer of the universe launched anattack against Ganesha. Amidst the fighting, Shiva severed the head of the child. And brought on Parvathi's rage.Seeing her son dead, Parvathi revealed her true self, as the Adi-shakti, the prime energy that fuels the universeand sustains matter. Taking on a terrible form, she vowed to destroy the universe where her son was killed andre-create a better one. The Gods prostrated before her and Shiva promised that her son will live again. Thetrinity hunted the world for a head and came across a mother elephant crying for her dead baby. They consoledthe mother and fixed the head of the baby elephant in place of Ganesha's head. Lord Shiva also declared thatfrom this day, the boy would be called as "Ganesha" (Gana-Isha : lord of the Ganas). In this way, Lord

Ganesha came to be depicted as the elephant-headed God.[2]

According to the Linga Purana, Ganesha was created by Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati at the request of theDevas for being a Vighnakartaa (obstacle-creator) in the path of Rakshasas, and a Vighnahartaa (obstacle-

averter) to help the Devas achieve fruits of their hard work.[3]

Date

The festival is observed in the Hindu calendar month of Bhaadrapada, starting on the shukla chaturthi (fourth dayof the waxing moon). The date usually falls between 19 August and 20 September. The festival lasts for 10 or12 days, ending on Anant Chaturdashi. This festival is observed in the lunar month of bhadrapada shuklapaksha chathurthi madhyahana vyapini purvaviddha. If Chaturthi prevails on both days, the first day shouldbe observed. Even if chaturthi prevails for the complete duration of madhyahana on the second day, if itprevails on the previous day's madhyahana period even for one ghatika (24 minutes), the previous day should

be observed.[4]

Celebration, rituals and tradition

In Hinduism

Two to three months before Ganesh Chaturthi, artistic clay models of Lord Ganesha are made for sale byspecially skilled artisans. They are beautifully decorated and depict Lord Ganesh in vivid poses. The size ofthese statues may vary from 3/4 of an inch to over 70 feet. The tallest Ganesha Idol made which stood 117 feettall was situated in the city of Visakhapatnam in 2012.

Ganesh Chaturthi starts with the installation of these Ganesh statues in colorfully decorated homes and speciallyerected temporary structures mandapas (pandals) in every locality. The pandals are erected by the people or aspecific society or locality or group by collecting monetary contributions. The pandals are decorated speciallyfor the festival, either by using decorative items like flower garlands, lights, etc. or are theme based decorations,which depict religious themes or current events.

The priest, usually clad in red or white dhoti and uttariyam (Shawl), then with the chanting of mantras invokesthe presence of Ganesha using the statue as a channel, or body for his energy. This ritual is the Pranapratishhtha.After this the ritual called as Shhodashopachara (16 ways of paying tribute) follows. Coconut, jaggery, 21modakas, 21 durva (trefoil) blades of grass and red flowers are offered. The statue is anointed with red unguent,

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2011 India's Biggest Ganesh Murti

(more than 70 feet) in

Vishakhapatnam

Ganesh Chaturthi celebrated in

Vadodara

Ganesh Visarjan in Mumbai

typically made of kumkum and sandalwood paste. Throughout the ceremony, Vedic hymns from the Rig Veda,the Ganapati Atharva Shirsha Upanishad, and the Ganesha stotra from the Narada Purana are chanted.

.

Some homes buy their own small clay statue, and after 1,3,5,7 or 11 days immerse it in a bucket or tub athome, so as not to pollute public lakes or rivers. After a few days the clay is used in the home garden.

The main sweet dish during the festival is the modak (modak in Marathi, modakam/kudumu in Telugu, modakain Kannada and modagam in Tamil). A modak is a dumpling made from rice flour/wheat flour with a stuffing offresh or dry-grated coconut, jaggery, dry fruits and some other condiments. It is either steam-cooked or fried.Another popular sweet dish is the karanji (karjikai in Kannada) which is similar to the modak in composition andtaste but has a semicircular shape.

In Andhra, kudumu (rice flour dumplings stuffed with coconut andjaggery mixture), Vundrallu (steamed coarsely grounded rice flourballs), Panakam (jaggery, black pepper and cardamom flavoreddrink), Vadapappu (soaked and moong lentils), Chalividi (cookedrice flour and jaggery mixture), etc., are offered to Ganesha alongwith Modakams. These offerings to god are called Naivedyam inTelugu.

In Andhra, Clay Ganesh (Matti Vinayakudu in Telugu) and TurmericGanesh (Siddhi Vinayakudu in Telugu) is usually worshipped athomes along with plaster of paris Ganesha.

Public celebrations of the festival are hugely popular, with localcommunities (mandalas) vying with each other to put up the biggeststatue and the best pandal. The festival is also the time for culturalactivities like singing and theater performances, orchestra andcommunity activities like free medical checkup, blood donationcamps, charity for the poor, etc.

Today, the Ganesh Festival is not only a popular festival, it hasbecome a very critical andimportant economic activityfor Mumbai,Visakhapatnam,Hyderabad, Bangalore andChennai. Many artists,industries, and businessessurvive on this mega-event.Ganesh Festival alsoprovides a stage forbudding artists to presenttheir art to the public. In

Maharashtra, not only Hindus but many other religions also participatein the celebration like Muslims, Jains, Christian and others. InMangalore, there is a belief that the eldest son of the home should be present during pooja.

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Tamil dancers on the streets of Paris

during the 2009 Ganesh Chaturthi

festival

Outside India

Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated in the UK by the migrant Hindupopulation as well as the large number of Indians residing there. TheHindu culture and Heritage Society, UK - a Southall basedorganisation celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi for the first time in Londonin 2005 at The Vishwa Hindu Temple. The Idol was immersed in theriver Thames at Putney Pier. Another celebration organised by anGujarati group has been celebrated in the Southend-on-Sea which

attracts over 18000 devotees.[5] Annual celebrations also take place

on the River Mersey at Liverpool.[6][7]

The festival is similarly celebrated in many locations across the world.The Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh USA, an organisation of Hindusbased in the US organises many such events to mark the Hindu festivals.

In USA, Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated by various associations of people from India. (Various IndianAssociations of North America and in Temples across USA.)

The Philadelphia Ganesh popularly known as PGF is the largest Sarvajanik (fully contributed by public funds)Hindu festival in North America. Since 2005 the festival is conducted every year in Bharatiya Temple, Chalfont,Pennsylvania. The 10 days are marked by processions, devotional programs, cultural events, India filmi-orchestra and a weekend carnival. While the Marathi community plays a big role in organising the festival,participation from all communities such as Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, North Indian, Bengali etc. is seen as thereason for its success and uniqueness.

In Canada, Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated by associations of Marathi-speaking people. (MBM in Toronto,MSBC in Vancouver, etc.)

Celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi in Mauritius dates back to 1896. The first Ganesh Chaturthi Puja was held inthe 7 Cascades Valley next to Henrietta village by the Bhiwajee family who is still celebrating this pious festivalfor more than a century. Over the years the festival gained such popularity on the island that Mauritiangovernment has attributed a public holiday for that day.

In Malaysia and Singapore, the festival is more commonly known as Vinayagar Chakurthi because of therelatively larger Tamil-speaking Hindu minority among the other South Asian ethnic groups. It is very common tosee pictures or statues of Lord Ganesha at the entrance of homes, business premises and schools. These idolsare usually decorated with flower garlands alongside offerings of fruits and sweets. Most Ganesha temples markVinayagar Chaturthi with morning prayers, abhishegam (ritual bathing of the deity) and free vegetarian lunch fordevotees and the poor. Chariot processions organised by Ganesha temples in the evenings often attract hugecrowds of devotees and tourists.

History

It is not known when and how Ganesh Chaturthi was first celebrated. Ganesh Chaturthi was being celebrated asa public event in Pune since the times of Shivaji (1630-1680), the founder of the Maratha Empire. ThePeshwas, the de facto hereditary administrators of the Empire from 1749 till its end in 1818, encouraged thecelebrations in their administrative seat Pune as Ganesha was their family deity (Kuladevata). With the fall ofthe Peshwas, Ganesh Chaturthi lost state patronage and became a private family celebration again till its revival

by Indian freedom fighter and social reformer Lokmanya Tilak.[8]

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Lake contaminated with Plaster of

Paris Ganesha idols

In 1893, Lokmanya Tilak transformed the annual domestic festival into a large, well-organized public event.[9]

Tilak recognized the wide appeal of the deity Ganesha as "the god for everybody",[10][11] and popularizedGanesh Chaturthi as a national festival in order "to bridge the gap between Brahmins and 'non-Brahmins' andfind a context in which to build a new grassroots unity between them", and generate nationalistic fervour among

people in Maharashtra against the British colonial rule.[12][13] Tilak was the first to install large public images ofGanesh in pavilions, and also established the practice of submerging in rivers, sea, or other pools of water all

public images of the deity on the tenth day after Ganesh Chaturthi.[14]

Under Tilak's encouragement, the festival facilitated community participation and involvement in the form ofintellectual discourses, poetry recitals, performances of plays, musical concerts, and folk dances. It served as ameeting ground for people of all castes and communities in times when, in order to exercise control over the

population, the British discouraged social and political gatherings.[15]

Environmental impact

'The most serious impact of the festival on the environment is due tothe immersion of idols made of Plaster of Paris into lakes, rivers andthe sea. Traditionally, the idol was sculpted out of mud taken fromnearby one’s home. After the festival, it was returned to the Earth byimmersing it in a nearby water body. This cycle was meant torepresent the cycle of creation and dissolution in Nature.

However, as the production of Ganesh idols on a commercial basisgrew, the earthen or natural clay (shaadu maati in Marathi and bankamatti in Telugu) was replaced by Plaster of Paris. Plaster is a man-made material, easier to mould, lighter and less expensive than clay.However, plaster is non-biodegradable, and insoluble in water.Moreover, the chemical paints used to adorn these plaster idolsthemselves contain heavy metals like mercury and cadmium, causingwater pollution. Also, on immersion, non-biodegradable accessoriesthat originally adorned the idol accumulate in the layers of sand on thebeach.

In the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Radio Jaagriti, the leadingHindu radio station in the country, has actively educated the public ofthe environmental implications of the use of plaster of Paris murtis.Clay Lord Ganeshas have been encouraged to be used for immersioninto the water courses to prevent any harmful environmental impacts. Ganesh Chaturthi is a widely celebratedHindu Festival in Trinidad and Tobago.

Recently there have been new initiatives sponsored by some state governments to produce clay Ganesha

idols.[16]

On the final day of the Ganesh festival thousands of plaster idols are immersed into water bodies by devotees.

These increase the level of acidity in the water and the content of heavy metals.[17] Several non-governmentaland governmental bodies have been addressing this issue. Amongst the solutions proposed are as follows:

Return to the traditional use of natural clay idols and immerse the icon in a bucket of water at home.

Use of a permanent icon made of stone and brass, used every year and a symbolic immersion only.

Recycling of plaster idols to repaint them and use them again the following year.

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Artificial pool created to immerse

Plaster of Paris idols.

Ban on the immersion of plaster idols into lakes, rivers and the sea.[18]

Creative use of other biodegradable materials such as papier-mâché to create Ganesh idols.

Encouraging people to immerse the idols in tanks of water rather than in natural water bodies.

To handle religious sentiments sensitively, some temples and spiritual groups have taken up the cause.[19]

Gallery

Ganesh Chaturthi

Immersion of Ganesh idol onthe occasion of AnantChaturdashi in 1946

Large idols such as this areseen all over Mumbai during

the festival

An Indian Coast Guardhelicopter patrols GirgaumChowpatty during Ganesh

Immersion

A boat at Girgaum Chowpattyduring immersion

Idols at Girgaum Chowpattyon their way for immersion

Street festivities in Hyderabadduring the festival of Ganesh

Chaturthi.

Small idols are brought homefor celebration

A Ganesh Procession inMumbai, India prior to

immersion.

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Imersion of Ganesh Idols atForeshore Estate, Chennai

A small clay Ganesh idolworshipped in a home during

Ganesh Festival

Statue of Ganesha, put up inKhairatabad, Hyderabad,

India in 2008 during GaneshChaturthi, worshipped for 9days and then immersed in

water.

Immersion of Ganesh Idol inSankey Tank, Bangalore,

India

Immersion in Hyderabad

Lalbaug Ganesh idolimmersion procession.

See also

Cultural depictions of elephants

Durga Puja

Mantrapushpanjali

Notes

1. ^ "Festivals, Cultural Events and Public Holidays in Mauritius" (http://www.tourism-mauritius.mu/discover/festivals.html). Mauritius Tourism Authority. Retrieved 28 January 2012.

2. ^ http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/hmvp/hmvp35.htm

3. ^ http://www.shivshankar.in/the-birth-of-vighanavinashak-gajanan-ganesha/

4. ^ (Ref. Dharmasindhu and Indian Calendric System, by Commodore S.K. Chatterjee (Retd). Madhyahana isthe 3rd / 5th part of the day (Sunrise-sunset). (Ganesh Chaturthi festival calculation information provided bymypanchang.com)

5. ^ Also by a south Indian group Edlabandi(aka eldabandi.com) in UK organised these celebrations widely in 2012and continue to do in upcoming years, said by its CEO Suman Balamuri. Thousands turn out for Hindu Festivalat Shoebury East Beach, Southend Standard(http://www.southendstandard.co.uk/news/southend/4573277.Thousands_turn_out_for_Hindu_Festival_at_Shoebury_East_Beach/)

6. ^ BBC report on 2008 Festival of Immersion (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/7615595.stm)

7. ^ Liverpool Daily Post: Report on 2010 event (http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2010/09/23/river-mersey-festival-to-celebration-hindus-birthday-of-lord-ganesh-92534-27325616/)

8. ^ Kapoor, Subodh. The Indian Encyclopaedia. Cosmo Publications. p. 2514. ISBN 978-81-7755-257-7.

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9. ^ Metcalf, Thomas R.; Metcalf, Barbara Daly. A Concise History of India. ISBN 0-521-63027-4.Metcalf andMetcalf, p. 150.

10. ^ Momin, A. R., The Legacy Of G. S. Ghurye: A Centennial Festschrift, p. 95.

11. ^ For Ganesha's appeal as "the god for everyman" as a motivation for Tilak, see: Brown (1991), p. 9.

12. ^ Brown, Robert L. (1991). Ganesh: Studies of an Asian God. Albany: State University of New York. ISBN 0-7914-0657-1.Brown (1991), p. 9.

13. ^ For Tilak's role in converting the private family festivals to a public event in support of Indian nationalism,see: Thapan, p. 225.

14. ^ For Tilak as the first to use large public images in ‹See Tfd›maṇḍapas (pavilions or tents) see: Thapan, p.225.Thapan, Anita Raina (1997). Understanding Gaņapati: Insights into the Dynamics of a Cult. New Delhi:Manohar Publishers. ISBN 81-7304-195-4.

15. ^ Indian Festivals. "Ganesh Chathurthy" (http://naturedestinationsinindia.blogspot.in/2012/08/lord-ganesha-festival.html). Retrieved 31 August 2012.

16. ^ The Environmentally Friendly Ganesh (http://www.chakranews.com/the-environmentally-friendly-ganesh/1683)

17. ^ M. Vikram Reddy, A. Vijay Kumar (December 2001). Effects of Ganesh-icon immersion on some waterquality parameters of Hussainsagar Lake.

18. ^ Ganesh immersions ruled unlawful (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3638860.stm)

19. ^ Ganesh immersion: temple’s campaign finds many takers(http://www.hindu.com/2006/08/11/stories/2006081121960300.htm)

External links

Menu of items to be prepared and vratha for Ganesha Chaturthi

(http://foodandremedy.com/index.php/festivals/ganesha)

More information on Ganesh Chaturthi (http://mocomi.com/ganesh-chaturthi/)Ganesh Chaturthi (http://hinduism.about.com/od/festivalsholidays/a/ganeshchaturthi.htm) on about.com

Customs marking Ganesh Chaturti (http://www.theholidayspot.com/ganesh_chaturthi/celebrate.htm)

Ganesh Chathurthi story in English (http://sollersblog.com/sollersblog/?p=474)

How to Celebrate Ganesha Chaturthi (http://www.astroved.com/celebrate_ganesh_chaturthi.aspx)

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