In India, extensive celebrations and events are an integral part of life's societal and cultural aspects. India has always been bestowed with different cultures and religions well represented in the following festivals and celebrations. One among them is the Ganesh Chaturthi Festival, which is a festival wherein Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed deity is worshipped. It is thought in India to be one of the most extensive religious feasts. Although Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated all across India, the festival ‘meaning’ is particularly strong in Maharashtra. The occasions are celebrated by the people living in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka.
The various ways of the celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi festival are very important to the Hindu faith. The importance of Ganesha Chaturthi is based on the Hindu mythology that Lord Ganesha was born on this fortunate day. People expect that Lord Ganesha will accept all difficulties and sins in people’s lives. Therefore, in a bid to worship and appease Lord Ganesha and pray for a bright future this day is celebrated. This day is expected in the year that Lord Ganesha comes visiting with wealth and achievement to those who pay their reverence to him. Ganesh Chaturthi festival sparks joy all over the country and people welcome Lord Ganesha into their homes believing that he will bring prosperity and happiness and remove all their sufferings.
Ganesh Chaturthi festival as said extends over 11 days. Initially, people began to bring Lord Ganesha idols in their homes as well as in the temples and hanging shrines called pandals during Chaturthi. Ganesh Visarjan also known as Ananth Chaturdash celebrates the final of the festival after 11 days of the festival that began on Chaturthi. There are a total of eleven days in which the devotees of Lord Ganesha worship the deity and make their favorite dish modak which is also known as sweet dumplings made of coconut and jaggery. Due to this belief that modak is sweet and favored by Lord Ganesha, people prepare homemade or even buy modaks to offer to the god.
To please Lord Ganesh and get his blessings, people sing bhajans, chant aartis, and chant different numbers of mantras. Ganesh Chaturthi festival is an occasion where people pray to God Ganesha in many regions of India to come and bless them with his aura of wealth, knowledge, and fortune. The idol of Lord Ganesha is readymade at several places so that Chaturthi can complete them for installation and worship on these preferred days.
While Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated all over India, it was started in and initially celebrated mostly in Maharashtra. The organisers considered that it was the Maratha emperor Shivaji Maharaj, who started the Ganesh Chaturthi festival first, and later it was revived by the political theorist Bal Gangadhar Tilak. This festival is celebrated for eleven days; during which people invite the colossal clay murtis or idols of Lord Ganesha into their homes and large tents or pandals. A price is also fixed for the most beautiful ‘pandal’. While some pandals try to outdo the other in the size and grandeur of the idol, the idols are placed randomly all over Mumbai. Love and families come together with a celebration of this, during this lovely season. Ideally on this auspicious occasion the women folk wear nauvaris and sarees and prepare rangolis in front of their homes.
Specifically, days one, three, seven, and eleven are marked for immersion of the deity that goes by the name Ganesh Virsarjan. Another happy and emotional event is immersion which is the ritual of people saying goodbye to Lord Ganesha for the year and asking him to live among them once again. Lovers of gods and goddesses make people dance with the idol during various joyful processions; alternatively, loud thumping music during the final rising ceremony of the idol. The last aarti is done and the pilgrims throw gulal at each other and the idol is immersed in a large water body like a lake or a sea.
Various websites are offering discounts via Ganesh Chaturthi offers on their products on this auspicious day. You can get a significant discount on several food and apparel websites. Additionally, you can take advantage of Ganesh Chaturthi shopping offers to get significant savings on items that you may have had on your wishlist for a while.