Ganesha Chaturthi: 10-day long festive season commences today

The celebrations of Vinayaka Chaturthi or Ganesh Chaturthi will start today which is celebrated in the honor of the Lord Ganesha. This festival is regarded to be a very auspicious and is attributed to the fact that people pray to the god so that every new venture that is inaugurated is successfully executed without any hindrances. The word Chaturthi represents the 4th day or the 4th state and therefore,traditionally, the celebrations are organized on the fourth day of Shukla Chaturthi in the month of Bhadrapada of Hindu calendar.

This festival is joyfully celebrated by the families at their home and by the people at their workplaces. Also, people celebrate this festival in public which involves the installation of clay images of Ganesha in pandals or temporary shrines. This festival is celebrated for a period of 10 days and then immersed. In the home, people put up an appropriately sized clay image and then worship the god. Post conclusion of the Ganesha Chaturthi festival, people immerses their installed idols in large water bodies such as river, sea or lake. The clay idols dissolve periodically in the water.

Ganesha Chaturthi festival is celebrated in all over the India especially in the states such as Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra. Also, in the state of Maharashtra, people enjoy this festival on the beats of a traditional instrument called dhol and Tasha. This year, in Mumbai, GSB Seva Mandal Ganesh idol made with over 70kg of gold and approximately 450kg silver is placed at King Circle. Many such things are encouraged everywhere along with keeping in mind the environmental concerns.

It is also observed in the different parts of India such as Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Gujarat, Karnataka, Odisha, Goa, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and other parts of southern and western India. So, wherever you are in India, embrace this festival by setting up an idol of Lord Ganesha and let blessings being showered over you.