Saturday, February 6, 2010

Ganesh Chathurthi


    Ganesh chathurthi is the most beloved festival for Hindus. It is celebrated as the birth day of lord Ganesha. Lord Ganesha is the god of luck and is worshiped before starting any work. The elephant-faced Ganesh is the son of lord Shiva and Parvathi maatha. He is also known as Ganadhi- pati which means leader of gods. Ganesh chathurthi falls in the month of badrapadha (Aug / Sep) on the fourth day of bright fortnight.

    Ganesh chaturthi finds its instance in Hindu mythology. After killing the demon king Mushikasura, goddess Parvathi appoints Ganesha as the leader of all gods. His birthday is celebrated as Ganesh chathurthi. Another story of the moon is also in prevalence. On this day, Ganesha was fed with many modaks and laddus and his tummy was really full. Then the moon saw him and laughed at him sarcastically. Due to the dristi of moon, the stomach of Ganesha burst. Then goddess Parvathi gave a curse to moon that on this day if any one sees the moon without performing the puja, will suffer from bad things. Hence people on this day perform puja with great reverence and bhakti.

    People celebrate the festival with great enthusiasm. Many mandaps are set up in the streets and idols of Ganesh maharaj are placed all over. The puja takes place for 10 days and on the 11th day the deities are carried in procession, finally immersed in any water body near by. People celebrate the festival by keeping small idols of in their houses and decorating it beautifully. There will be cultural programs like dancing, bajans etc. in those 10 days. Ganesh chathurti is a beautiful festival for Hindus.

No comments: