Mumbai Celebrates Ganesh Chaturthi

Ganesh Chaturthi is the blessed day when Lord Ganesha appears to confer happiness to the people on earth. Also called Vinayaka Chaturthi, Ganesha Festival is celebrates the birthday of the Lord. It is observed for 10 days, starting from Shukla Chaturthi till Ananta Chaturdashi (Hindu dates fall between month of August or September) throughout the country. States like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh celebrate this festival in the most grandiose manner.

A boy prepares a huge idol for the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai on August 23, 2010.

Mumbai, the Financial Hub of India, commemorates this event in really extravagant style, with utmost devotion. It's the time when streets bustle with devotees and huge 'pandals' (canopies) are set up, housing the idols of Lord Ganesha - the Lord of Beginnings, Wisdom, Prosperity and Good Fortune. Every nook and corner of the city appears drenched in the celebrations, excitement and enthusiasm. However, the preparations for this festival start 2-3 months before the event, with the making of clay models of the Lord.

On the festive day, the idol is placed on elevated platforms in homes or outdoor canopies, where people come to pray. A red silk dhoti is worn by the priest, who invokes life in the idol by chanting mantras (ritual known as Pranapratishtha). Followed by this, Shhodashopachara (16 ways of paying tribute) is done. Later the idol is smeared with red unguent (rakta chandan). While doing all the rituals, hymns from the scriptures like Rig Veda, Ganapati Atharva Shirsha Upanishad, and Ganesh Stotra are chanted.

For complete ten days, Lord Ganesh is worshipped with whole-hearted devotion. The image is taken into a procession, where devotees dance and sing to their heart's content on the 11th day. Eventually, the idol is immersed in the sea with reverence. Throughout the procession, people yell 'Ganapathi Bappa Morya, Purchya Varshi Laukariya' which means 'O Father Ganesh! Come again early next year'. Ganesh Chaturthi is a great festival of religious and social fervor, which presents a valuable insight, especially in Mumbai.