Ganesh Chaturthi
Ganesh chaturthi the birthday of Lord Ganesha. It is one of the Hindu festivals. The Ganesh chaturthi festival comes first among the other Hindu festivals. Most of the North Indians know this festival as Ganesh Chaturthi and South Indians know this festival as Vinayaka chavithi or Vinayaka Chaturthi. Lord Ganesha is a son of Goddess Parvathi and Lord Siva. On this festival day only, Lord Siva has declared that his son is the supreme of all the Gods. So when any one performs any pooja, they should first perform pooja to Lord Ganesha. It is believed that Lord Ganesha removes obstacles in the lives of the people who worship him sincerely. According to the Hindu calendar This festival comes on Sukla paksha Chaturthi in the month of Badra pada. If the sukla paksha Chaturthi has started on one day and ended on the other day then the starting of it should be observed and considered. According to English calendar Ganesh Chaturthi comes between August and September month. This Ganesha Chaturthi festival celebrates for 10 days and more. This festival is celebrated grandly all over India and in other countries also. Every Hindu on this day will surely celebrate this festival or if it not possible at least they make darshan of Lord Ganesha. The people who mold the clay into Ganesha, they feel it is a competition and they make as big and high size Ganesh murthies. Finally they enter into the Gunnies book.
Story behind the Ganesh Chaturthii
Once Goddess Parvathi created a Ganesha with Sandal paste which is used for bathing and then she gave life to that Sandal Ganesha. She feels that this Sandal Ganesha is as her son and she kept Ganesha as a guard at the door as she is going to take bath. Then Lord Siva tried to meet Parvathi, but he returned as Lord Ganesha did not allow Lord Siva to enter, as Lord Ganesha doesn’t know Lord Siva. Then Lord Siva got anger on the Lord Ganesha and he sent his ghost followers to Ganesh to fight. The Lord Ganesha defeated all those ghost followers. The Ganesha was the creation of Goddess Parvathi, So he has a lot of powers in him as he has defeated Ghost followers then Lord Indra attacked him with his army, but they also got defeated by Lord Ganesha. Then finally Lord Siva attacked Lord Ganesha and in the fight Lord Siva cut the head of Lord Ganesha. When Parvathi notice this, seeing her son dead she showed her form of Adi sakthi and said that she will destroy the universe as her son is no more in the universe. Then Lord Siva promised her that he will re-create her son by giving re-birth. So Lord Siva searched a lot to get the head from the living being whose head is rested on North side and he found a Mother elephant is crying for her baby elephant which is dead by keeping its head on North side. He took the head of the baby elephant and joined to Lord Ganeshaand he gave name as Ganesh. From then Lord Ganesha is known as elephant headed God.
Celebration of Lord Ganesha Chaturthi festival
The celebration of Lord Ganesha Chaturthi festivals starts from two months before, all over India. The artist who makes the statues of Gods and people start molding the clay into Lord Ganesha. Some people use plaster of Paris but it is not at all good as when we do nimajan of Ganesha after 10 days the plaster of paris will be spoiling the water. So it is suggest using clay Ganesha murthy. The murthies are available in the market from the size of inch to 90 and more feet. But if you need more than 30 feet, then the artist will be constructing the Ganesh murthy at the place where you want to install Lord Ganesha. Only small murties are been used in houses and big murthies in mandapas.
The Ganesha Chaturthi festival celebration starts with the installation of the Ganesh murthy at home or outside where we keep a mandapas in different localities.
Things required for Ganesh Chaturthi pooja
For performing this Ganesh Chaturthi pooja we need Ganesh murthy, garlends, rice, turmeric powder, red powder, mango leaves, tulasi leaves, patri (one kind leaf), special grass, fruits, coconut and food items for preparing special dishes which are favorite for Lord Ganesha.
Process of decoration of Lord Ganesha
First we place a holy leafy plate( Plate made of special leaves) where we want to perform pooja of Ganesha. Then we draw swastik symbol on the leafy plate. Now we take a handful of rice and spread them on the swastik. Then the Lord Ganesha murthy is placed on that rice. Now we decorate Lord Ganesha with Turmeric powder and red powder. Then we decorate the murthy with flowers, garlands and fruits around Lord Ganesha murthy. We prepare special food Items for lord Ganesha. They are Undarallu, Jiilayda kayalu, Pulihora (tiger bath or yellow rice), fried Chana, Adida, Paramannam(sweet milk rice) and Kudumulu. All these items are favorites of Lord Ganesha. If there are children in the family, they should draw swasthik symbol or Om symbol at first page of their book and place them near Ganesha murthy. Then Lord Ganesh will bless you with lot of wisdom. If you kept Lord Ganesha in Mandapas outside, for it also same process applies.
Process of performing pooja
We should offer all the food items which are favorites of Lord Ganesha. Then first we have to light a lamp near the Ganesh murthy and then say Ganesha sloka. Now we have to read Ganesha astotharam by dropping flowers on the lord Ganesha and by sprinkling little sandle water. Then story of Lord Ganesha should read. Every one of the family should listen to it. It is said that once a person started listening to the story of Ganesha, they should not go in the middle. After the story gets completed, everyone should drop a flower and turmeric powder mixed raw rice (akshinthalu) on God and wear the red power, do Namaskar to Lord Ganesha. The Lamp should be light whole day till evening. Then we break a coconut and offer coconut water and coconut to Lord Ganesha. The food items which are offered to Lord Ganesha should be taken as Prasad. These items should be distributed to relatives, friends and neighbors.
Some people at evening do Ganesh visarjan in river or sea. But some people keep Ganesh murthy for more days. So people who keep them for more days and they should perform pooja daily as we did on Ganesh Chaturthi. Same with the groups who have kept mandapas, they should also do whole pooja daily. Some people keep do visarjan for 4 days, 6days, 9 days, 11days and some keep them more than 11 days and then they will do visarjan.
The story while doing pooja of Ganesha
Many people were suffering from the many problems, and then they got known that if they do this Ganesha pooja then Lord Ganesh will remove all the obstacles in their life. So they performed the pooja and then a poor man became rich. Like this many people got benefited by performing this pooja.
Lord Ganesha is a food lover. He love Undarallu, Jiilayda kayalu, Pulihora (tiger bath or yellow rice), fried Chana, Adida, Paramannam(sweet milk rice) and Kudumulu which we have offered him in pooja. On Ganesh Chaturthi, Lord Ganesha had all these food items and his stomach became big in size in such a way that his stomach is touching the ground. Then with that stomach he is walking slowly. Moon from the sky saw Lord Ganesha and started laughing. Lord Ganesha became anger on the moon and he cursed the moon, that people who ever look at the moon on Ganesh Chaturthi festival day they will get lot of scoldings. Then Moon requested Lord Ganesha to forgive the mistake, so Ganesh said that people who look at you on that day and get scolding, they will get lot of punyam (virtuous deed). Then at evening we visit all the mandapas to see the different forms of Lord Ganesha. The Ganesh murthy which is installed in home will be immersed in water that is sea or river but the Ganesh murthy which is installed in mandapas will be taken on to the vehicle and showed to all the near by locality and people will be dancing in the happiness of Ganesh visarjan infront of the vehicle to entertain people who are watching it. The people who kept mandpas with big Ganesha murthy, they specially prepare Laddu as Prasad for Ganesha. After the Ganesh visarjan they keep auction of the laddu. Many people participate in the Aution. Recently Laddu went to 20 lakhs and they even do annadanam also.
Stories behind Ganesh visarjan
There are many stories about Ganesh Visarjan. Ganesh visarjan means immersing the Ganesh murthy after perfoming the pooja it may be one day, or after 10 days that according to our calculations and rules. We do Ganesh visarjan, because Lord Vishnu always stays in Milk Sea. So Lord Vishnu is Lord Ganesha. Then Ganesh should be in water. So we perform Ganesh Visarjan for removing all the troubles in our lives.
After the Ganesh Chaturthi is completed, Lord Ganesh will have journey towards Kailash by taking all the problems and bad karma of the people who worship him sincerely.
Secret of using tulasi leaves on Ganesh Chaturthi only:
Actually in normal days if we offer tulasi leaves to Lord Ganesha, then he will become anger. Because, once tulasi ma asked Lord Ganesha to marry her but Lord Ganesha refused her and she still irritated Ganesha. So in the anger, Lord Ganesha cursed Tulasi ma that she will be worshipped in plant form only and will stay outside of the house always. Then Tulasi ma requested Lord Ganesh to forgive her, then Ganesha said that people can worship Lord Ganesha with tulasi leaves on Ganesh Chathudi only. If they perform pooja with tulasi leaves on other days then they will face problems.
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