Mighty Lords Ganesha | Happy Ganesh Chaturthi
A broken tusk, a rounded body carrying the wisdom of the universe,a tray of sweets by his side,a tiny mouse on the other, a lotus in one hand , and a crown on his head, the second arm raised with an axe, third - lifting in benediction and blessing - THE MIGHTY GANESHA.
A god revered by millions around the world, the remover of obstacles, the patron of art and science, the god of wisdom, the son of Shiva and Parvati.
Today on these auspicious day of Mighty Ganesha let's know more about him.
Hindus celebrate it with great fervour and devotion every year.
Yes, this is the time for the annual Ganesh Chaturthi festival also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi. In honour of this massive festival in India, we have put together a piece on how India celebrates Ganesh Chaturthi. His appeal is diverse and multifold and celebrated in different parts of the country in many different ways. Even his birth has many legends in it.
The legend of Lord Ganesha's Birth
One of the most popular iterations of his birth is from Parvati. The goddess wanted to bathe and did not want to be disturbed. Since, Nandi was not there to stand guard, Parvati took the turmeric paste she used for bathing and made a young boy from it. She breathed life into it, and thus Ganesha was born. However, when Shiva wanted to see his wife, Ganesha would not let him pass until Parvati was done. Sensing that this was no ordinary guard, Shiva decapitated the boy’s head. When Parvati heard of this, she was enraged. She would only be pacified if the boy was brought back to life and if he was worshipped as a God. Shiva agreed to her conditions and sent his Shiva-dutas out to bring the head of the closest deceased creature, with its head pointing north. They returned with the head of the powerful elephant Gajasura, which was placed on the boy’s body. Brahma breathed new life into him and declared him a God before all others.
Different rituals for Ganesh Chaturthi
Ganesh Chaturthi includes four distinct rituals -
Pranapratishhtha,
Shhodashopachara,
Uttarpuja,
Ganpati Visarjan.
In Pranaprathishhtha the idol of Ganesha is created and the devotees then place the idol on a pandal or in their home. Devotees pray for 10 days and play, perform and sing devotional songs to Lord Ganesha.
During Shhodashopachara, 16 different types of prayers are performed; it includes decorating the idol with flowers and offering sweets.
The third phase is Uttarpuja takes place right before the immersion. The lord is taken from the home or pandal and is prepared for the immersion.
The final ritual is Visarjan, where the idol is immersed into the sea or river.
Now the question arises why the final ritual takes place, there is also a legend behind it.
Let's see…
It is said that Mahabharat (one of India's greatest epic ) was written by Shree Ganesha and Sage Vyas narrated it to him. When he ran out of writing materials, he broke his tusk and continued to write with it.
The writing process continued for 10 days. Once that was done, clay was applied all over Ganesha's body, and he was taken for a bath in the river. On the 11th day, Ganesha is immersed in water.
With each legend attached to Ganesha, there are multiple interpretations, different layers and meanings to unpack. Each has a significance, which you’ll see in the different ways in which people celebrate the festival.
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