NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Ganesh Chaturthi

Ganesh Chaturthi (IAST: Gaṇeśa Chaturṭhī, sanskrit: गणेश चतुर्थी) (Ganesh Festival) is a day on which Lord Ganesha, the son of Shiva and Parvati, is believed to bestow his presence on earth for all his devotees. It is also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chavithi in Sanskrit, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu and as Chathaa (चथा) in Nepal Bhasa. It is the birthday of Lord Ganesha. The festival is observed in the Hindu calendar month of Bhaadrapada, starting on the shukla chaturthi (fourth day of the waxing moon period). Typically the day falls sometime between August 20 and September 15. The festival lasts for 10 days, ending on Ananta Chaturdashi. immersion of Ganesh murti at Chowpatty Beach, Bombay; image produced by User: Markalexander100 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... immersion of Ganesh murti at Chowpatty Beach, Bombay; image produced by User: Markalexander100 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... IAST, or International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is the academic standard for writing the Sanskrit language with the Latin alphabet and very similar to National Library at Calcutta romanization standard being used with many Indic scripts. ... The Sanskrit language ( , for short ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ... For other uses, see Ganesha (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Siva (disambiguation). ... For the Harry Potter character, see Parvati Patil. ... The Sanskrit language ( , for short ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ... â€œKannadaâ€ redirects here. ... Tamil ( ; IPA ) is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamils in India and Sri Lanka, with smaller communities of speakers in many other countries. ... Telugu (à°¤à±†à°²à±à°—à±) is a Dravidian language (South-Central Dravidian languages) primarily spoken in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, where it is the official language. ... â€œNewariâ€ redirects here. ... A page from the Hindu calendar 1871-72. ... In Hinduism, Bhadra is a goddess of the hunt and one of Shivas servants. ... Shukla is Sanskrit for white, also bright phase of lunar fortnight, as opposed to Krishna, or dark phase. ... Chaturthi, is the fourth day of any month in the Hindu calendar. ... is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Ganesha, the elephant-headed son of Shiva and Parvati, is widely worshipped as the supreme god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune.

While held all over India, it is at its most elaborate in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, and other areas which were former states of the Maratha Empire. Outside India, it is celebrated by Newars in Nepal. , Maharashtra (Marathi: à¤®à¤¹à¤¾à¤°à¤¾à¤·à¥à¤Ÿà¥à¤° , IPA: , translation: Great Nation) is Indias third largest state in area and second largest in population after Uttar Pradesh. ... This article is for the Indian state. ... , KarnÄtakÄ (Kannada: à²•à²¨à²¾à³¯à²Ÿà²•) (IPA: ) is one of the four southern states of India. ... â€œAndhraâ€ redirects here. ... Flag of the Maratha Empire Extent of the Maratha Empire ca. ... The Newar or Newah are the indigenous group of Nepals Kathmandu valley. ...

A ganesh idol costing Rs 7 crore (2007) is presented at GSB Mandal Ganpati in Wadala, Mumbai. Vadala road is a small station on the Harbor Line of Bombays railway line which is different from the Western and the Central line. ... , â€œBombayâ€ redirects here. ...

Rituals

During the Ganesha festival, a household worships a statue of Shri Ganesha. The worship lasts an odd number of days (from 1 to 11 days, sometimes 13). For other uses, see Ganesha (disambiguation). ...

This festival starting with the installation of beautifully engraved (sculptured) Ganesh idols in colorfully decorated homes and mantapas (pandals). The mantapas has been depicted by religious themes or current events. The idols are worshipped with families and friends. Open mandapa at Amritapura A mandapa (also spelled mantapa or mandapam) in Indian architecture is a pillared outdoor hall or pavilion. ... A pandal is a temporary structure set up to venerate the goddess Durga during Durga Puja. ...

The main sweet dish during the festival is the modak ([modagam]or [modakam] in South India). A modak is a dumpling made from rice flour/wheat flour with a stuffing of fresh or dry-grated coconut, jaggery and some other condiments. It is either steam-cooked or fried. Another popular sweet dish is the karanji ([karjikai]in Kannada) which is similar to the modak in composition and taste but has the shape of the 4th day moon. Modak pronounced Mo(Mo as in more) +the(as the word the) + K as in King = Mo+the+K, is a sweet dish which originated in the Indian state of Maharashtra. ... South India is a linguistic-cultural region of India that comprises the four states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and the two Union Territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry, whose inhabitants are collectively referred to as South Indians. ...

Public celebrations of the festival are hugely popular, with local communities (mandalas) vying with each other to put up the biggest idol. The festival is also the time for cultural activities like songs, dramas and orchestra.

Today, the Ganesh Festival is not only a popular festival - it has become a very critical and important economic activity for Maharashtra. Many artists, industries, and businesses survive on this mega-event. Ganesh Festival also provides a stage for budding artists to present their art to the public.

For the year 2007 in the Western Calendar, Ganesha Chaturthi has commenced on Saturday, September 15th and its attributed festival of ganesha's mother, gowri (a form of parvathi), gowripuja comes on 13th (the day before) [1].

History

Traditional stories tell that Lord Ganesha (or Ganapati) (the names mean "Lord [isha] or [pati] of Shiva's hosts [gana]") was created by goddess Parvati, consort of Lord Shiva. Parvati created Ganesha out of sandalwood paste that she used for her bath and breathed life into the figure. She then set him to stand guard at her door while she bathed. However, while she bathed, Lord Shiva returned and as Ganesha didn't know him, he didn't allow him to enter. Lord Shiva became enraged and severed the head of the child and entered his house. After realizing that he had beheaded his own son, Lord Shiva fixed the head of an elephant in place of Ganesha's head. In this way, Lord Ganesha came to be depicted as the elephant-headed God. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 797 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (845 Ã— 636 pixel, file size: 430 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 797 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (845 Ã— 636 pixel, file size: 430 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... For the Harry Potter character, see Parvati Patil. ... For other uses, see Siva (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Ganesha (disambiguation). ...

To know more about this deity, please read Ganesha. For other uses, see Ganesha (disambiguation). ...

Ganesh Chaturthi Celebrations in India

Ganesh Festival In Pune

There are five "Ganpati of Honour." They are as follows: First Ganpati of Honour - Kasba Ganpati; Second Ganpati of Honour - Tambadi Jogeshwari; Third Ganpati of Honour - Guruji Talim; Fourth Ganpati of Honour - Tulsibaug Ganpati; and Fifth Ganpati of Honour - Kesariwada Ganpati. Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Mandal and Akhil Mandai Mandal are also worshipped by crores of people across globe. A crore is a unit in the Indian numbering system, still widely used in Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. ...

During the festival, people sing prayers called "bhajans" & perform rituals called Aartis. They visit the homes of their friends and relatives who have Ganesh idols at their homes. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Ganesh Chaturthi Celebrations Outside of India

Ganesh Festival In Scandinavia (September 15 2007)

The indian hindu communities in Roskilde and Skovde celebrated the occasion by offering prayers to the pure clay dieties (homemade with clay soil collected locally). Attached are the photos of 100% environmental aware Lord Ganesha in clay. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (2048 Ã— 1536 pixel, file size: 661 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Gourinath, photo taken by myself File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (2048 Ã— 1536 pixel, file size: 661 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Gourinath, photo taken by myself File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... This article is about the town in Denmark. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (2112 Ã— 2816 pixel, file size: 3. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (2112 Ã— 2816 pixel, file size: 3. ... Skövde is a Municipality in Västra Götaland County, in western Sweden. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... This article is about the town in Denmark. ... Skövde is a Municipality in Västra Götaland County, in western Sweden. ...

Rooted in Tradition

From then onwards, this festive occasion has grown in acceptance and today, commands the respect of millions of citizens all over Maharashtra. Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak brought Ganesha as a deity out on the streets. It was a unique move by this freedom fighter, which he achieved with the Ganpati visarjana or immersion procession, wherein the mass output of several Ganesh mandals is taken out on a parade on the final day of the Ganesh festival and taken to be immersed. This process was started in 1893 and is now prevalent virtually all over Maharashtra, with special emphasis on Mumbai and Pune. Lokmanya Tilak attached this mass celebration to increase national awareness about the Freedom movement. Herein, neighbourhood Ganeshas are worshipped and brought to immersion sites, where huge crowds gather to bid him an emotional and frenzied farewell. Bal Gangadhar Tilak (1856 - 1920), was an Indian nationalist, social reformer and freedom fighter who was the first popular leader of the Indian Independence Movement. ... , â€œBombayâ€ redirects here. ... , Pune (IPA: , Marathi: à¤ªà¥à¤£à¥‡) is a city located in the western Indian state of Maharashtra. ...

In Pune, as the sun sets over darkening rivers, the images are taken out in boats and as each one is immersed, a cry is raised asking him to return the next year. It is an emotional and public farewell to their beloved god as parthiva (of the earth), who will rise once again the following year.

The first day commemorates certain events connected with Ganesha. It is the day on which he materialised as Mayureshwara, to kill the demon Sindhu, who had acquired extraordinary powers through the worship of Surya. Mayureshwara is also one of the ashtavinayakas (the eight forms of Ganesha). This is also the birth that Shiva has chosen to celebrate in Kailasa. In Hinduism, Surya (Devanagari: à¤¸à¥‚à¤°à¥à¤¯, sÅ«rya) is the chief solar deity,one of the Adityas, son of Kasyapa and one of his wife Aditi[1] ,in Nordics Tyr he is said to be the son of Dyaus Pitar. ...

A special puja is performed for Ganesha. The worship of the deity involves getting a corner ready to receive the god. Ganesha is invited with a special phrase and with material and verbal offerings, the puja begins. It involves the panchamrut (five nectars), which includes milk, curd, ghee, honey and jaggery, with which the god's icon is bathed, cleansing in between with water. A puja as performed in Ujjain during the Monsoon on the banks of the overflowing river Shipra. ... Panchamrita generally refers to a concoction used in Hindu worship services. ... A glass of cows milk. ... Curd is a dairy product obtained by curdling (coagulating) milk with rennet or an edible acidic substance such as lemon juice or vinegar and then draining off the liquid portion (called whey). ... Ghee in a jar Wikibooks Cookbook has an article on Ghee Ghee (Hindi à¤˜à¥€ from Sanskrit ghá¹›ta à¤˜à¥ƒà¤¤ sprinkled ) is a type of clarified butter important in Indian cuisine. ... For other uses, see Honey (disambiguation). ... A block of Indian jaggery (gur) Cleaning of pans prior to manufacture of jaggery Preparation of jaggery Jaggery is the traditional unrefined sugar used in India. ...

Ganesha is then given a red garment and the sacred thread - saying it is silver. He is then smeared with red sandal paste and offered red or yellow flowers. A lamp is lit, bells chime and food is offered in six symbolic mouthfuls - not to the god's body, but to his five panchapranas or 'vital breaths' and the one beyond - the absolute.

During the festival, puja is performed twice every day - once in the morning and again in the evening. Ganesha is offered special leaves and flowers, 21 of each and white durva grass. The murti is formally installed on the first day and given life in the presence of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, and the Vedas. Touching the murti with blades of durva grass, he is brought to life step by step and made to go through 15 of the 16 rites of passage that each Hindu goes through in his lifetime. (The sixteenth one, which is for death, is omitted.) Binomial name (L.) Pers. ...

The Ganesha mantra is chanted, followed by a Ganesha prayer. Ganesha is called by his 108 good names. The last puja done, the family or congregation gathers around and rice grains are placed on the head of the murti, which is moved, symbolically unseating him.

Problems

In recent times there have been few incidents of tensions between Hindus and Muslims during the visarjan. This happens when the Ganesh procession uses routes that passes through places inhabited by minorities. However, there are examples of Muslims involved in Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, such as the Shri Sarvajanik Ganesh Mitra Mandal at Shri Sunder Kamala Nagar, King's Circle. As of 10^th September 2005, a Muslim heads this particular Ganesh mandal (a small group that organises the local celebrations), which was founded by Wilson Brooks (a Christian) some 24 years ago. news item on the Mid-day website. This article discusses the adherents of Hinduism. ... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: Ù…Ø³Ù„Ù…, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: Ù…Ø³Ù„Ù…Ø§Ù†, Turkish: MÃ¼slÃ¼man, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ... Kings Circle is the former name of a circular park in Matunga, Mumbai. ...

Environmental impact

The most serious impact of the Ganesh festival on the natural environment is due to the immersion of idols made of Plaster of Paris into lakes, rivers and the sea. Traditionally, the Ganesh idol was sculpted out of earth taken from nearby one’s home. After worshipping the divinity in this earth idol, it was returned back to the Earth by immersing it in a nearby water body. This cycle represented the cycle of creation and dissolution in Nature. This article is about the building material. ...

However, as the production of Ganesh idols on a commercial basis grew, the earth or natural clay (shaadu maati in Marathi) was replaced by Plaster of Paris. Plaster is a man made material, easier to mould, lighter and less expensive than clay. However, plaster takes much longer to dissolve and in the process of dissolution releases toxic elements into the water body. The chemical paints used to adorn these plaster idols, themselves contain heavy metals like mercury and cadmium. Marathi is one of the widely spoken languages of India, and has a long literary history. ... A heavy metal is any of a number of higher atomic weight elements, which has the properties of a metallic substance at room temperature. ...

On the final day of the Ganesh festival thousands of plaster idols are immersed into water bodies by devotees. These increase the level of acidity in the water and the content of heavy metals. ^[1] The day after the immersion, shoals of dead fish can be seen floating on the surface of the water body as a result of this sudden increase.

Several non governmental and governmental bodies have been addressing this issue. Amongst the solutions proposed by various groups some are as follows:

To handle religious sentiments sensitively, some temples and spiritual groups have also taken up the cause. ^[5]

References

Pictures

See also

External links

Categories: Ganesh | Hindu festivals | Festivals in India | August observances | September observances Screenshot of About. ... For other uses, see Ganesha (disambiguation). ... // In his survey of Ganeshas rise to prominence in Sanskrit literature Ludo Rocher notes that: Above all, one cannot help being struck by the fact that the numerous stories surrounding Gaá¹‡eÅ›a concentrate on an unexpectedly limited number of incidents. ... The consorts of Ganesha include Buddhi, Siddhi, Riddhi, and others, although the issue of Ganeshas marital status has been the subject of considerable scholarly review. ... One theory of the origin of Ganesha is that he gradually came to prominence in connection with the . ... Ganapatya is a denomination of Hinduism that worships Ganesha (also called Ganapati) as the supreme God. ... Ganapati Temples:- Siddhivinayak temple,Mumbai Ganapathi temple , Pernankila Sharavu Ganapathi temple , Mangalore Ganapathi Temple ,Anegudde Ganapathi Temple ,Idagunji Ashtavinayak Temples Ganapati Temple ,Ganapatipule ... Ashtavinayak à¤…à¤·à¥à¤Ÿà¤µà¤¿à¤¨à¤¾à¤¯à¤• literally means eight Ganeshas in Sanskrit. ... India had an impact on many countries of West and South Asia as a result of commercial and cultural contacts. ... The Ganesha Purana (Sanskrit:; ; also spelled Ganeshpoorana) is a Hindu religious text dedicated to the Hindu deity Ganesha (). It is an upapurÄá¹‡a that includes many stories and ritualistic elements relating to Ganesha. ... The Mudgala Purana (Sanskrit:; ) is a Hindu religious text dedicated to the Hindu deity Ganesha (). It is an upapurÄá¹‡a that includes many stories and ritualistic elements relating to Ganesha. ... The is a Hindu religious text dedicated to the Hindu deity Ganesha (). It is a late upanishad that celebrates Ganesha as the embodiment of the ultimate Brahman. ... The Ganesha Sahasranama (Sanskrit:; ) is a litany of the names of Hindu deity Ganesha (). A sahasranama is a Hindu hymn of praise in which a deity is referred to by 1,000 or more different names. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... Hinduism (known as in modern Indian languages[1]) is a religious tradition[2] that originated in the Indian subcontinent. ... Hindu mythology is a term used by modern scholarship for a large body of Indian literature that details the lives and times of legendary personalities, deities and divine incarnations on earth interspersed with often large sections of philosophical and ethical discourse. ... Smartism[1], (or Smarta Sampradaya, Smarta Tradition, as termed in Sanskrit), is a denomination of the Hindu religion. ... For other uses, see Siva (disambiguation). ... For the Harry Potter character, see Parvati Patil. ... Skanda is a name of a deity that is popular amongst practicing Hindus and Buddhists Skanda is a Hindu deity also known as Kartikeya and Murugan. ... In Hinduism, Ganas are attendants of Shiva and live in Kailasa. ... The Wikimedia Commons (also called Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ... The Hindu religion has many festivals. ... A page from the Hindu calendar 1871-72. ... Sankranthi, or Sankranti, is a festival that signifies the beginning of the harvest season for the farmers of India. ... This article is about the Pongal festival. ... Celebration of Holi Holi (Hindi: à¤¹à¥‹à¤²à¥€) or Phagwah (Bhojpuri) is a popular, Hindu spring festival, observed in North India and Nepal, also called the Festival of Colours. ... Rama Navami is a Hindu holiday. ... Krishna Janmashtami (Devanagari à¤•à¥ƒà¤·à¥à¤£ à¤œà¤¨à¥à¤®à¤¾à¤·à¥à¤Ÿà¤®à¥€) , also known as Krishnashtami, Gokulashtami, Srikrishna Jayanti, Sree Jayanthi or sometimes merely as Janmashtami, is a Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... Navratri or Navratra is a Hindu festival of worship and dance. ... Dasara, also called Navaratri, is among the most important festivals celebrated in Southern India. ... Durga Puja (Bengali: à¦¦à§à¦°à§à¦—à¦¾à¦ªà§‚à¦œà¦¾ Durga Puja) is the biggest festival of Bengali Hindus. ... Vijayadashami (also known as Dussehra) is a festival celebrated across India. ... This article is about the Religious festival. ... Bhaubeej/Bhau-Beej (in Marathi) or Bhai-Dooj (in Hindi) or Bhai Beej (in Gujarati) is a festival or ceremony performed by Hindus on the second day after Diwali, which is the second day of the new year. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The Khanda Vaisakhi (Punjabi: , , also known as Baisakhi) is a long established harvest festival in Punjab that also has religious significance for both Sikhs[1] and Hindus. ... Ugadi (Telugu: à°‰à°—à°¾à°¦à°¿, Kannada: à²‰à²—à²¾à²¦à²¿) (literally - the start of an era) is the new years day for the people of the Deccan region of India. ... A traditional vishu kanni setting Vishu (Malayalam:à´µà´¿à´·àµ)-(American VjÃ©shu) is a festival held in the state of Kerala (and adjoining areas of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu) in India around the first day in the Malayalam month of Medam (April â€“ May). ... Puthandu (Tamil New Year) On the Tamil New Years Day, a big Car Festival is held at Tiruvadamarudur near Kumbakonam. ... Onam (IPA: [oËÉ³am], Malayalam: à´“à´£à´‚) is an annual harvest festival, celebrated mainly in the Indian state of Kerala. ... Satyanarayana Pooja is an event celebrated by Hindus on every full moon. ... Karwa Chauth is celebrated by married women in India by fasting for the long life of their husbands. ... It has been suggested that Thai Poosam Kavady be merged into this article or section. ... Maha Shivratri or Maha Sivaratri or Shivaratri or Sivaratri (Night of Shiva) is a Hindu festival celebrated every year on the 14th day in the Krishna Paksha of the month Maagha (as per Shalivahana) or Phalguna(as per Vikrama) in the Hindu Calendar. ... Ekadasi is the eleventh lunar day (Tithi) of the shukla (bright) or krishna (dark) paksha (fortnight) respectively, of every lunar month in the Hindu calendar (Panchang). ... MahaLakshmi vratha is a sacred day in Hinduism. ... The Vaikunda Avataram is celebrated on the 20th day of the Tamil Month of Masi, the date at which Lord Vaikundar arose from the sea of Thiruchendur as the son of Mummorthies to destroy the evil spirit of KÃ¡li, not the Hindu deity, present in this Kali Yuga and... A sample of rakhis, tied by sisters on the wrists of brothers in celebration of Raksha Bandhan Raksha Bandhan (the bond of protection in Hindi) or Rakhi (à¤°à¤¾à¤–à¥€ in DevanÄgarÄ«) is a Hindu festival and also Sikh festival, which celebrates the relationship between brothers and sisters. ...

Contents

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