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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.
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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.
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