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Ganesh
Chaturthi: (August/September)
It
is celebrated as the birth anniversary of Ganesha, the god of
wisdom and prosperity on the fourth day of Bhadra (August/September).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 dust
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 he Shiva had never seen him
before, stopped him. Shiva,
angered by the unknown child stopping him from entering his own
house, 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,
but in small jerks, and also cannot match the overall speed
of the flying peacock,. 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.
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
Chaturdashi 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 biggerand more magnificent and elegant idols.
Every year, the largest Ganesh idol is installed atKhairatabad
in Hyderabad, which is more than 30 ft tall.
On
the 11th day, on Ananta Chaturdashi, processions of Ganesh, amidst
roaring musicconverge 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 of ”Pudchya Varshi Laukar Ya” to urge
Ganesha to return early the next year.
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