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वक्रतुण्ड महाकाय, सूर्यकोटि समप्रभ ।

निर्विघ्नं कुरु मे देव, सर्वकार्येषु सर्वदा ॥

One of the most popular festivals in India, Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated annually to mark the birth of Lord Ganesh, the younger son of Lord Shiva and Mata Parvati. The festival falls on the Shukla Chaturthi of Bhadra month according to the Hindu calendar and in the month of August/September according to the Gregorian calendar. Lord Ganesh is the symbol of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune.

Although the festival is celebrated all over the country, it is significantly associated with the state of Maharashtra where it is celebrated as “Ganeshotsava”. It is a ten-day long celebration that begins with the bringing of Ganesh Moorti in the homes or the Pandals. During this Period, a whole lot of cultural activities like music, dances and plays are performed. The festival ends on the Anant Chaturdashi and the idol is taken to a nearby pond or river for immersion (visarjan).

The first historical record of Ganesh Chaturthi celebrating, at such a grand scale, dates back to the era of Chhatrapati Shivaji, the founder of Maratha empire. Lord Ganesh was the Kuldevta (Family deity) of the Shivaji. He initiated this festival as community worship to promote culture and nationalism in his capital Pune. The tradition was taken forward by the Peshwas till 1818. In the year 1818, Peshwa Baji Rao was defeated by the East India Company in the third battle of Panipat. With this, public celebration was discontinued.

The festival remained a family affair until 1893, a nationalist freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak reinvented it as a symbol of nationalism. In the time when Britishers restricted public gathering for the fear of planning of revolt, Tilak realized the potential of this festival and turned it into a grand multi days public event. For 10 days, The pandal served as a meeting place of all castes and communities under protection of Lord Ganesha. The crowd used loud music and dance to distract british spies and large crowd helped our freedom fighters blend and escape.

Lord Ganesha is the most popular God, known by various names as Vinayak, Ganapati, Vighna Nashak, Ekdant etc. He is worshipped by all Hindus irrespective of caste or class. It is said that if one wants the blessing of all the gods, they only need to worship Lord Ganesh. For any auspicious event, Lord Ganesh must be the first one to be invited, before any other gods or guest. He is worshipped as god of wisdom, and without wisdom, knowledge and wealth is meaningless.

May Lord Ganesh bring you good luck and prosperity! Happy Ganesh Chaturthi.