Ganesh Chaturthi also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi is the Hindu festival of Ganesha also called Vinayagar in Tamil Nadu, te son of Shiva and Parvati, who is believe to bestow his presence on earth for all his devotees in the duration of this festival. It is the day Shiva declared his elder son Ganesha as superior to all the gods.
Ganesha is widely worshipped as the god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortne and traditionally invoked at the beginning of any new venture or at the start of travel.
The festival is obeserved in the Hindu Calendar month of Bhaadrapada, starting on the Shukla chaturthi (Fourth day of the waxing moon period). The date usually falls between 20 Aug and 15 sept. The festival lasts for 10 days, ending on Anant Chaturdashi (fourteenth day of the waxing moon period).
While celebrated all over India, it is mostelaborate in western and southern India. Outside India, it is celebrated widely in Nepal and by Hindus in the United States, Canada, Singapore and Fiji.
In India
Two to three months prior to Ganesh Puja, artistic clay models of Lord Ganesha are made for sale by specially skilled artisans. They are beautifully decorated & depict Lord Ganesh in various poses. The size of these statues may vary from 3/4 of an inch to over 25 feet.
Ganesh Puja starts with the installation of these Ganesh statues in colorfully decorated homes and specially erected temporary structures pandals in every locality. The pandals are erected by the people or a specific society or locality or group by collecting monetary contributions. The pandals are decorated specially for the festival, either by using decorative items like flower garlands, lights, etc or are theme based decorations, which depict religious themes or current events.
The priest, usually clad in red silk dhoti and shawl, then symbolically invokes life into the statue by chating mantras. This ritual is the Pranapratishhtha. After this the ritual called as Shhodashopachara (16 ways of paying tribute) follows. Coconut, Jaggery, 21 modakas, 21 durva (trefoil) blades of grass and red flowers are offered. The statue is anointed with red unguent, typically made of Kumkum & Sandalwood paste. Througout the ceremony, Vedic humns from the Rig Veda, the Ganapati Atharva Shirsha Upanishad and the Ganesh stortra from the Narada Purana are chanted.
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