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 Date : It is celebrated as the birth anniversary
of Ganesha, the god of wisdom and prosperity on the fourth day of
Bhadrapadamasam (August/September)
Legends :
Ganesha is the god of wisdom and
prosperity and is invoked before the beginning of any auspicious
work by the Hindus. According to mythology he is the son of Shiva
and Parvati, brother of Kartikeya - the general of the gods, Lakshmi
- the goddess of wealth and Saraswati-the goddess of learning. This
elephant-headed god, whose vehicle is the Mooshak or rat
and who loves Modaks (round sweets) is associated with
several humourous tales and lores. Tales of how he beat his brother
Kartikeya, in a race which involved going around the world thrice,
without even moving out of his house, of how he lost one of his
tusks are known to children all over India. Legend has it that
Parvati created Ganesha out of the sandalwood dough that she used
for her bath and breathed life into him. Letting him stand guard at
the door she went to have her bath. When her husband, Shiva
returned, the child who had never seen him stopped him. Shiva
severed the head of the child and entered his house. Parvati,
learning that her son was dead, was distraught and asked Shiva to
revive him. Shiva cut off the head of an elephant and fixed it on
the body of Ganesha.
There are numerous stories associated
with the birth of Ganesha and all are told during the time of the
festival. Another story says that the Gods decided to choose their
leader and a race was to be held between the brothers' Kartikeya and
Ganesh. Whoever took three rounds of the earth first would be made
the Ganaadhipati or the leader. Kartikeya seated on a peacock, his
vahanam (vehicle), started off for the test. Vinayak or
Ganesh was given a rat, which moves swiftly. Vinayak realised that
the test was not easy, but he could not disobey his father. He
reverently paid obeisance to his parents and went around them three
times and completed the test before Kumarswami (Kartikeya).
According to him, " my parents pervade the whole universe and going
around them, is more than going round the earth." Everybody was
pleasantly surprised to hear Vinayak's logic and intelligence.
Meanwhile, Kartik was amazed to see Ganesh completing the holy bath
at each river that he reached at and ready for another round of the
universe.
Practice :Ganesha is the
munificent god of wisdom and Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated in his
honour and in the states of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and
Andhra Pradesh and many other parts of India. In Bombay alone, more
than 6000 Ganesha statues are commissioned collectively by
factories. Upto 10 metres in height these statues are carried on
decorated floats. Little Ganeshas are placed in nukkads or
street corners and in homes, and poojas are performed
daily.
Started by Shivaji, the great Maratha
ruler, to promote culture and nationalism, the festival was revived
by Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak to spread the message of freedom
struggle and to defy the British who had banned public assemblies.
The festival gave the Indians a feeling of unity and revived their
patriotic spirit and faith. This public festival formed the
background for political leaders who delivered speeches to inspire
people against the Western rule. The festival is so popular that in
Mumbai the preparations begin months in advance. Images of Ganesha
are installed and elaborate arrangements are made for lighting and
decoration, and celebrations are on for 7-10 days. The Chaturthi is
the last day dedicated to the elephant-headed god, and thousands of
processions converge on the beaches of Mumbai to immerse the holy
idols in the sea. This immersion is accompanied by drum- beats,
devotional songs and dancing. It is also forbidden to look at the
moon on that day as the moon had laughed at Ganesha when he fell
from his vehicle, the rat. In Hyderabad, the artists who make
the idols of Ganesh compete with each other to make bigger and more
magnificent and elegant idols. Every year, the largest Ganesh idol
is installed at Khairatabad in Hyderabad, which is more than 30 ft
tall. On the 11th day, on Ananta Chaturdashi, processions of Ganesh,
amidst roaring music converge at the Hussain Sagar - the lake that
connects Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Idols are decorated with
flowers, pearls and coins. A few of them are also made up of
dryfruits like almonds, cashew nuts and raisins. Devotees wearing
saffron caps accompany the idols and sprinkle gulal (a pink
powder), while dancing to the tune of drums. With the immersion of
the idol amidst the chanting of "Ganesh Maharaj Ki Jai!" and
"Ganpati bappa morya" the festival ends with pleas to Ganesha
to return the next year.
Poojaa Vidhi
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