This is a ten-day festival, dedicated to Ganesha. It is
celebrated from the fourth to the fourteenth day in the bright fortnight of Bhadrapad. The
festival begins on the fourth day of Bhadrapad, which is celebrated as Ganesha Chaturthi
in the rest of India. This festival is celebrated all over India, but it is celebrated
particularly n Maharsahtra with great excitement. This festival was greatly popularised in
Maharashtra by Bal Gangadhar Tilak and he transformed this festival into one where the
poor and rich could both worship in the similar manner and henceforth the festival was
known as Sarvajanik (Community) Ganeshautsav.
Ganesha is considered as the God of wisdom and prosperity. This elephant-headed God is
worshipped by the Hindus before starting any puja or good work. Ganesha is also believed
to remove all obstacles from our lives. He has four hands in which he holds a chakra or
wheel, a shell, a lotus and a mace. Beautifully made clay idols of the Lord are brought to
people's homes and are kept there for one and a half days or even upto the ten full days
that this festival lasts. The idol is placed on a special platform called as the Ganesh
Sthaphna. A puja is performed every day and flowers and sweets are offered to the Lord.
Lord Ganesh has some particularly favourite food, which is prepared for him like ladoos,
mithai, panchamrit, modaks etc.
After 10 days, huge processions of people carry all the idols of Ganesha to the sea and
the idols are immersed on Anant Chaturdashi day. There are loud cries from the people who
are singing "Ganpati Bapa Morya, Pudchya Varshi Lavkar ya!", calling the God
back the next year.
