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Ganesh Chaturthi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ganesh Chaturthi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ganesha Chaturthi is the Hindu festival celebrated on the birthday (rebirth) of Lord Ganesha, the son of Shiva and Parvati.

Ganesh Chaturthi
Observed by Hindus Religious, folk Bhadrapada shukla chaturthi Anant Chaturdashi August/September 19 September 9 September Setting up Pandals, street processions and idol immersion

Type It is believed that Lord Ganesh bestows his presence on earth for all his devotees during this festival. It is the day Begins when Ganesha was born. Ganesha is widely worshipped Ends as the god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune and Date traditionally invoked at the beginning of any new venture or at the start of travel. The festival, also known as 2012 date Vinayaka Chaturthi ("festival of Ganesha") is observed 2013 date in the Hindu calendar month of Bhaadrapada, starting on Celebrations the shukla chaturthi (fourth day of the waxing moon period). The date usually falls between 19 August and 20 September. The festival lasts for 10 days, ending on Anant Chaturdashi (fourteenth day of the waxing moon period).

While celebrated all over India, it is most elaborate in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, 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 Date 3 Celebration, rituals and tradition 3.1 In Hinduism 3.2 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 know him, 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). He defeated the ghost-followers (called "Ghana"s) and declared nobody was allowed to enter while his mother was bathing. The sage of heavens, Narada, along with the Saptarshi (the seven wise rishis) sensed a growing turmoil and went to appease the boy with no results. Angered, the king of Gods, Indra attacked the boy with his entire heavenly army but even they didn't stand a chance. By then, this issue had become a matter of pride for Parvathi and Shiva. After the devas were defeated, the trinity, the controller, preserver and destroyer of the universe launched an attack 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 universe and sustains matter. Taking on a terrible form, she vowed to destroy the universe where her son was killed and re-create a better one. The Gods prostrated before her and Shiva promised that her son will live again. The trinity hunted the world for a head and came across a mother elephant crying for her dead baby. They consoled the mother and fixed the head of the baby elephant in place of Ganesha's head. Lord Shiva also declared that from 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 the Devas for being a Vighnakartaa (obstacle-creator) in the path of Rakshasas, and a Vighnahartaa (obstacleaverter) 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 day of the waxing moon). The date usually falls between 19 August and 20 September. The festival lasts for 10 or 12 days, ending on Anant Chaturdashi. This festival is observed in the lunar month of bhadrapada shukla paksha chathurthi madhyahana vyapini purvaviddha. If Chaturthi prevails on both days, the first day should be observed. Even if chaturthi prevails for the complete duration of madhyahana on the second day, if it prevails 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 by specially skilled artisans. They are beautifully decorated and depict Lord Ganesh in vivid poses. The size of these statues may vary from 3/4 of an inch to over 70 feet. The tallest Ganesha Idol made which stood 117 feet tall was situated in the city of Visakhapatnam in 2012. Ganesh Chaturthi starts with the installation of these Ganesh statues in colorfully decorated homes and specially erected temporary structures mandapas (pandals) in every locality. The pandals are erected by the people or a specific society or locality or group by collecting monetary contributions. The pandals are decorated specially for 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 invokes the 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, 21 modakas, 21 durva (trefoil) blades of grass and red flowers are offered. The statue is anointed with red unguent,
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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 at home, 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, modaka in Kannada and modagam in Tamil). A modak is a dumpling made from rice flour/wheat flour with a stuffing of fresh 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 and taste but has a semicircular shape. In Andhra, kudumu (rice flour dumplings stuffed with coconut and jaggery mixture), Vundrallu (steamed coarsely grounded rice flour balls), Panakam (jaggery, black pepper and cardamom flavored drink), Vadapappu (soaked and moong lentils), Chalividi (cooked rice flour and jaggery mixture), etc., are offered to Ganesha along with Modakams. These offerings to god are called Naivedyam in Telugu. In Andhra, Clay Ganesh (Matti Vinayakudu in Telugu) and Turmeric Ganesh (Siddhi Vinayakudu in Telugu) is usually worshipped at homes along with plaster of paris Ganesha. Public celebrations of the festival are hugely popular, with local communities (mandalas) vying with each other to put up the biggest statue and the best pandal. The festival is also the time for cultural activities like singing and theater performances, orchestra and community activities like free medical checkup, blood donation camps, charity for the poor, etc.

Today, the Ganesh Festival is not only a popular festival, it has become a very critical and important economic activity for Mumbai, Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai. Many artists, industries, and businesses survive on this mega-event. Ganesh Festival also provides a stage for Ganesh Visarjan in Mumbai budding artists to present Ganesh Chaturthi celebrated in their art to the public. In Vadodara Maharashtra, not only Hindus but many other religions also participate in the celebration like Muslims, Jains, Christian and others. In Mangalore, there is a belief that the eldest son of the home should be present during pooja.

2011 India's Biggest Ganesh Murti (more than 70 feet) in Vishakhapatnam

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Outside India
Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated in the UK by the migrant Hindu population as well as the large number of Indians residing there. The Hindu culture and Heritage Society, UK - a Southall based organisation celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi for the first time in London in 2005 at The Vishwa Hindu Temple. The Idol was immersed in the river Thames at Putney Pier. Another celebration organised by an Gujarati 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 Hindus based in the US organises many such events to mark the Hindu festivals.

Tamil dancers on the streets of Paris during the 2009 Ganesh Chaturthi festival

In USA, Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated by various associations of people from India. (Various Indian Associations 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 filmiorchestra 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 the reason 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 in the 7 Cascades Valley next to Henrietta village by the Bhiwajee family who is still celebrating this pious festival for more than a century. Over the years the festival gained such popularity on the island that Mauritian government has attributed a public holiday for that day. In Malaysia and Singapore, the festival is more commonly known as Vinayagar Chakurthi because of the relatively larger Tamil-speaking Hindu minority among the other South Asian ethnic groups. It is very common to see pictures or statues of Lord Ganesha at the entrance of homes, business premises and schools. These idols are usually decorated with flower garlands alongside offerings of fruits and sweets. Most Ganesha temples mark Vinayagar Chaturthi with morning prayers, abhishegam (ritual bathing of the deity) and free vegetarian lunch for devotees and the poor. Chariot processions organised by Ganesha temples in the evenings often attract huge crowds of devotees and tourists.

History
It is not known when and how Ganesh Chaturthi was first celebrated. Ganesh Chaturthi was being celebrated as a public event in Pune since the times of Shivaji (1630-1680), the founder of the Maratha Empire. The Peshwas, the de facto hereditary administrators of the Empire from 1749 till its end in 1818, encouraged the celebrations in their administrative seat Pune as Ganesha was their family deity (Kuladevata). With the fall of the 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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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 popularized Ganesh Chaturthi as a national festival in order "to bridge the gap between Brahmins and 'non-Brahmins' and find 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 of Ganesh 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 of intellectual discourses, poetry recitals, performances of plays, musical concerts, and folk dances. It served as a meeting 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 to the immersion of idols made of Plaster of Paris into lakes, rivers and the sea. Traditionally, the idol was sculpted out of mud taken from nearby ones home. After the festival, it was returned to the Earth by immersing it in a nearby water body. This cycle was meant to represent the cycle of creation and dissolution in Nature. However, as the production of Ganesh idols on a commercial basis grew, the earthen or natural clay (shaadu maati in Marathi and banka matti in Telugu) was replaced by Plaster of Paris. Plaster is a manmade 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 idols themselves contain heavy metals like mercury and cadmium, causing water pollution. Also, on immersion, non-biodegradable accessories that originally adorned the idol accumulate in the layers of sand on the beach. In the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Radio Jaagriti, the leading Lake contaminated with Plaster of Hindu radio station in the country, has actively educated the public of Paris Ganesha idols the environmental implications of the use of plaster of Paris murtis. Clay Lord Ganeshas have been encouraged to be used for immersion into the water courses to prevent any harmful environmental impacts. Ganesh Chaturthi is a widely celebrated Hindu 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-governmental and 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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Ban on the immersion of plaster idols into lakes, rivers and the sea.[18] Creative use of other biodegradable materials such as papier-mch 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

Artificial pool created to immerse Plaster of Paris idols.

Immersion of Ganesh idol on the occasion of Anant Chaturdashi in 1946

Large idols such as this are seen all over Mumbai during the festival

An Indian Coast Guard helicopter patrols Girgaum Chowpatty during Ganesh Immersion

A boat at Girgaum Chowpatty during immersion

Idols at Girgaum Chowpatty on their way for immersion

Street festivities in Hyderabad during the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi.

Small idols are brought home for celebration

A Ganesh Procession in Mumbai, India prior to immersion.

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Imersion of Ganesh Idols at Foreshore Estate, Chennai

A small clay Ganesh idol worshipped in a home during Ganesh Festival

Statue of Ganesha, put up in Khairatabad, Hyderabad, India in 2008 during Ganesh Chaturthi, worshipped for 9 days and then immersed in water.

Immersion of Ganesh Idol in Sankey Tank, Bangalore, India

Immersion in Hyderabad

Lalbaug Ganesh idol immersion procession.

See also
Cultural depictions of elephants Durga Puja Mantrapushpanjali

Notes
1. ^ "Festivals, Cultural Events and Public Holidays in Mauritius" (http://www.tourismmauritius.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 is the 3rd / 5th part of the day (Sunrise-sunset). (Ganesh Chaturthi festival calculation information provided by mypanchang.com) 5. ^ Also by a south Indian group Edlabandi(aka eldabandi.com) in UK organised these celebrations widely in 2012 and continue to do in upcoming years, said by its CEO Suman Balamuri. Thousands turn out for Hindu Festival at Shoebury East Beach, Southend Standard (http://www.southendstandard.co.uk/news/southend/4573277.Thousands_turn_out_for_Hindu_Festival_at_Sho ebury_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/regionalnews/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 and Metcalf, 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 07914-0657-1.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 maapas (pavilions or tents) see: Thapan, p. 225.Thapan, Anita Raina (1997). Understanding Gaapati: 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-ganeshafestival.html). Retrieved 31 August 2012. 16. ^ The Environmentally Friendly Ganesh (http://www.chakranews.com/the-environmentally-friendlyganesh/1683) 17. ^ M. Vikram Reddy, A. Vijay Kumar (December 2001). Effects of Ganesh-icon immersion on some water quality parameters of Hussainsagar Lake. 18. ^ Ganesh immersions ruled unlawful (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3638860.stm) 19. ^ Ganesh immersion: temples 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) Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ganesh_Chaturthi&oldid=572119655" Categories: Hindu festivals Festivals in India Ganesha August observances September observances Festivals in Maharashtra This page was last modified on 8 September 2013 at 23:22. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.

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