Ganesh Chaturthi, also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi is a Hindu festival that reveres Lord
Ganesh. It is a ten days festival. The festival is marked with the installation of Lord Ganesh clay idols individually in homes, or publicly on elaborated temporary stages. Observations include
chanting of Vedic hymns and Hindu texts such as Lord Ganapati Upanishad, prayers, and Vrata
(fasting). Offerings and Prasad from
the daily prayers, which is distributed from the elaborated temporary stages to
the community, include sweets such as modak believed to be a favorite of the elephant-headed deity.
The festival ends on the tenth day after start, wherein the idol is carried in
a public procession with music, dance and group chanting, then immersed in
nearby water bodies such as a river or
ocean, thereafter the clay idol dissolves and Ganesha is believed to return to
Mount Kailasha to Parvathi and Shiva (Ganesha’s parents).
This
festival remembers Lord Ganesha’s birthday
and worshiped him as the God of good beginnings, prosperity and obstacle
remover. It is observed throughout India, especially as a public event in the
western states of India such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Chhattisgarh, usually
as a private home festival in other states such as Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya
Pradesh.
Lord
Ganesh clay idols are usually made by a sculptor
in large number since from the ancient times and those families are carrying
out the art to the next generation. These Lord Ganesh clay idols are made from
the molds. The clay is pasted to both the molds and are joined together
to form Lord Ganesha idol. Then the
idols are allowed to dry naturally. These clay idols are Eco-friendly. When the clay idols are immersed
in the water bodies, it doesn’t harm any living beings in the water and the idols are biodegradable.
Thank you.
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