LORD GANESHA THE FIRST AND FOREMOST DEITY FOR HINDUS AND CELEBRATION OF GANESH CHATURTHI IN INDIA

SRI GANESHA

वक्रतुण्ड महाकाय सूर्यकोटि समप्रभ ।

निर्विघ्नं कुरु मे देव सर्वकार्येषु सर्वदा ॥

VAKRA THUNDA MAHAKAYA SURYA KOTI SAMAPRABHA

NIRVIGNAM KURU ME DEVA SARVA KARYESHU SARVADHA

THE MEANING OF THIS SANSKRIT SLOKA/VERSE IS " HEY LORD WITH CURVED TRUNK,HUGE BODY WITH THE BRILLIANCE OF A MILLION SUNS,PLEASE REMOVE ALL OBSTACLES IN ALL MY WORK"

THE LORD GANESHA/GANAPATHI/VIGNESWAR/VINAYAK,/PILLAIYAR AS HE IS KNOWN BY VARIOUS NAMES IS A  POPULAR DEITY THROUGHOUT INDIA. SIDDIVINAYAK TEMPLE IN MUMBAI IS A VERY FAMOUS SPOT FOR GANESH WORSHIP.BUT ESPECIALLY IN SOUTH INDIA YOU WILL FIND A GANESH TEMPLE IN EVERY NOOK AND CORNER.IN THE BEGINNING OF EVERY STREET AND BYLANE.

THROUGHOUT INDIA PEOPLE WORSHIP GANESHA BEFORE STARTING ANY NEW TASK OR WORK.IT IS SAID THAT IF YOU START ANYTHING AUSPICIOUS BEFORE WORSHIPPING GANESHA, THE TASK IS BOUND TO BE UNSUCCESSFUL.

GANESHA/GANPATHI MEANS LEADER OF THE GANAS WHO ARE THE DEMON WARRIORS OF LORD SIVA. THERE IS AN INTERESTING TALE BEHIND HIS ELEPHANT TRUNK.

WHEN LORD SIVA'S CONSORT PARVATHI, WANTED SOME PRIVACY SHE MADE HER FIRST SON GANESHA TO STAND IN FRONT OF HER PALACE AND GAVE HIM STRICT INSTRUCTIONS NOT TO ALLOW ANYONE INSIDE.WELL GANESHA WAS A DUTIFUL SON .SO WHEN LORD SIVA CAME TO MEET PARVATHI ,HE REFUSED TO ALLOW LORD SIVA INSIDE.AS YOU KNOW LORD SIVA IS FAMOUS FOR HIS UNCONTROLLABLE ANGER AND IS SAID TO BE THE DESTROYER AMONG THE THREE DEVAS. SO HE CUT OFF THE HEAD OF GANESHA. 

WHEN PARVATHI SAW THIS SHE WAS VERY ANGRY AND ANNOYED WITH LORD SIVA.TO APPEASE HER ANGER,LORD SIVA ORDERED HIS GANAS TO FIT THE HEAD OF THE FIRST DEAD CREATURE THEY SEE TO THE BEHEADED TRUNK OF GANESHA. AND SINCE THE FIRST CREATURE THEY SAW WAS A DEAD ELEPHANT,THEY FITTED IT'S HEAD TO THE TRUNK OF LORD GANESHA.GANESHA BECAME ALIVE WITH HIS ELEPHANT HEAD.THAT IS WHAT THE TERM VAKRA THUNDA MEANS."THE ONE WITH THE CURVED TRUNK,AN ELEPHANT TRUNK.SO LORD GANESHA BECAME THE ELEPHANT GOD. LORD SIVA ALSO GAVE HIM SEVERAL BOONS AND BLESSED HIM SAYING THAT THE PEOPLE IN THE WORLD SHALL FIRST WORSHIP HIM BEFORE UNDERTAKING ANY IMPORTANT TASK.HE WAS ALSO MADE THE CHIEF OF LORD SIVA'S GANAS/ARMY.

SO LORD GANESHA BECAME THE FIRST HEAD TRANSPLANT PATIENT IN THE WORLD!! INDIANS HAVE A RICH AND VERY ANCIENT CULTURE.TAMIL LANGUAGE IS SAID TO BE THE OLDEST LANGUAGE AND QUITE DIFFERENT FROM PRAKRIT THE ORIGIN OF SEVERAL ASIAN LANGUAGES LIKE PERSIAN,SANSKRIT ETC.AND THEN AGAIN MOST INDIAN LANGUAGES ARE DERIVED FROM SANSKRIT.BUT TAMIL IS THE QUITE DIFFERENT AND ONE OF THE OLDEST LANGUAGES IN THE WORLD.

COMING TO HEAD TRANSPLANTS, THERE IS A LOT OF TALK ABOUT FULL HEAD TRANSPLANT.THEY ARE ONLY CLAIMS AND NO REALLY SUCCESSFUL HEAD TRANSPLANT HAS BEEN REPORTED. ONE OR TWO FACE  TRANSPLANTS HAVE BEEN DONE AND PROBABLY THEY HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL.

BUT THE CONCEPT OF A FULL HEAD TRANSPLANT HAS OCCURRED TO INDIANS SEVERAL THOUSANDS OF THOUSAND YEARS AGO.EVEN IF IT IS ONLY MYTHOLOGY,THE CONCEPT HAS OCCURRED TO OUR ANCIENT INDIANS.ACTUALLY THE INDIANS BELONG TO A VERY ANCIENT CULTURE AND HAVE CROSSED SEAS AND OCEANS FOR TRADE AND EXCHANGE LONG BEFORE THE DAYS OF COLUMBUS.

THE INDIANS HAD REALISED THAT THE EARTH IS ROUND WAY BACK IN TIME BEFORE ANY ASTRONOMICAL DISCOVERY WAS MADE.REMEMBER VARAHA AVTAR OF VISHNU IN THE FORM OF A BOAR WHEN HE CARRIED THE EARTH AWAY FROM PATAL/UNDERGROUND WORLD UP ON HIS NOSE ?

LIKE JULES VERNE SITTING IN HIS TINY APARTMENT AND WRITING ABOUT UNHEARD OF THINGS WHICH ARE FAST BECOMING POSSIBILITIES.THE ANCIENT INDIANS WERE A VERY ADVANCED RACE.

GANESH CHATURTHI /VINAYAKA CHATURTHI IS A HINDU FESTIVAL CELEBRATING THE BIRTH OF GANESHA.THE FESTIVAL CELEBRATES GANESHA AS THE REMOVER OF OBSTACLES,AND AS A GOD OF WISDOM AND INTELLIGENCE.IT IS CELEBRATED THROUGHOUT INDIA ESPECIALLY IN MAHARASHTRA,KARNATAKA,GOA,TELENGANA AND GUJARAT.IN TAMIL NADU,MADHYA PRADESH AND ANDHRA PRADESH THE FESTIVAL IS USUALLY CELEBRATED IN HOMES.ELSE WHERE THE FESTIVAL IS CELEBRATED PUBLICLY WITH MUCH POMP AND SPLENDOUR. 

ESPECIALLY IN MAHARASHTRA WHERE IT IS CELEBRATED FOR TEN DAYS.AND ON THE ELEVENTH DAY THE DEITIES ARE CARRIED TO OCEANS OR RIVERS IN A PROCESSION WITH MUSIC AND DANCE AND LOVINGLY THE PEOPLE BID GOOD BYE.THE DEITIES ARE IMMERSED AND LORD GANESHA IS SUPPOSED TO RETURN TO KAILAS,TO HIS PARENTS.THE DEITY IN LALBAUG, MUMBAI IS SAID TO BE THE TALLEST OF THEM ALL.

GANESH CHATURTHI BEGINS IN 4TH DAY OF HINDU LUNISOLAR CALENDAR MONTH BHADRAPADA USUALLY IN AUGUST-SEPTEMBER.IT IS CELEBRATED IN  IN SEVERAL PARTS OF INDIA AND AMONGST HINDUS IN NEPAL,U.S,AUSTRALIA,FIJI,MAURITIUS,TRINIDAD AND EUROPE.

POOJA PREPARATIONS BEGIN WELL IN ADVANCE .PANDALS/MANDAPAS /LARGE COVERED STAGES, ARE BUILT AND THERE IS COMPETITION AS TO WHOSE PANDAL/DEITY IS THE BEST.FUNDS COME FROM LOCAL RESIDENTS,DONATIONS FROM COMPANIES AND CORPORATE HOUSES.THERE IS SPENDING ON A LAVISH SCALE.

THE WORSHIP STARTS WITH PADYA POOJA OR WORSHIP OF THE FEET OF THE LORD.THE DEITIES ARE BROUGHT TO HOMES OR THE PANDALS ONE OR TWO DAYS BEFORE.THE PANDALS ARE WELL DECORATED AND DIFFERENT KINDS OF LIGHT DECORATIONS ARE ALSO USED.

DURING THE DAYS OF POOJA THERE ARE COMMUNITY FEASTS,VRATA/FASTING BY LADIES AND GENTS ALIKE.THERE ARE WRESTLING BOUTS,MUSIC CONCERTS ETC.THE YOUTHS TAKE ACTIVE PARTICIPATION IN COLLECTING FUNDS AND ORGANISING THE FESTIVAL.

THE IDOLS ARE USUALLY MADE OF CLAY, PAPIER MACHE OR PLASTER OF PARIS(WHICH IS BANNED) WITH PLASTIC ADORNMENTS.SINCE THEY CAUSE POLLUTION TO THE WATER BODIES,NOWADAYS INNOVATIVE CONCEPTS LIKE PANDALS AND DEITIES MADE FROM ORGANIC MATERIAL,COCONUTS ETC ARE BEING ADOPTED.

MOSTLY A LUDHIANA BAKERY HAS MADE CHOCOLATE GANESHAS  AND THE OWNERS PROPOSE TO IMMERSE THE IDOLS IN MILK AND OFFER THEM TO POOR CHILDREN.WHAT AN INNOVATIVE IDEA TO AVOID POLLUTION.

WELL ANYWAY I AM HAPPY THAT PEOPLE ARE AT LEAST MAKING THE FIRST STEPS TOWARDS PREVENTING ATMOSPHERIC AND WATERBODY POLLUTIONS.

THIS IS A 35 FEET CHOCOLATE IDOL MADE FROM CHOCOLATE BY MS.RINTU RATHOD.

AND THERE IS THIS ODISHA ARTIST PRAMOD PATNAIK,WHO SEEMS TO BE ON A MISSION TO PROMOTE ECO FRIENDLY WAYS TO OBSERVE FESTIVALS IN INDIA. HE HAS MADE THIS GANESH IDOL MADE FROM SPHAGNUM MOSS WHICH IS ALL SET TO BE A MAJOR CROWD PULLER IN KARNATAKA,ON THE OCCASION OF GANESH CHATURTHI.

IN TAMIL NADU THE FESTIVAL IS CELEBRATED IN AVANI MONTH. USUALLY IN THE HOMES.BUT NOWADAYS WE SEE HUGE PANDALS AND STATUES OF GANESHA IN THE STREETS.MAYBE BECAUSE THE MARWARI, GUJARATI AND MAHARASHTRIAN POPULATION IN TAMIL NADU IS INCREASING.

ON THE FESTIVAL DAYS GANESHA IS WORSHIPPED WITH FLOWERS AND RICE COATED WITH TURMERIC(AKSHADA) ESPECIALLY IN SOUTH INDIA.

THE DEITY IS OFFERED SWEETMEATS AND OTHER DELICACIES AS NAIVEDYA(OFFERING).MODAK(DUMPLING) IS SAID TO BE THE FAVOURITE DELICACY OF LORD GANESHA.IT IS MADE IN THREE VARIETIES.SWEET, PLAIN AND SPICY.

THE ELLIPTICAL ONES ARE URAD DAL MODAKS,HOT AND SPICY.THE SERRATED ONES ARE SWEET MODAKS.THE OTHER PICTURE IS ACTUALLY PLAIN RICE BALLS COOKED IN COCONUT MILK.AND THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER DELICACIES POPULAR IN PARTICULAR REGIONS OF INDIA.

AFTER WORSHIPPING AND FEEDING GANESHA FOR TEN DAYS PREPARATIONS ARE MADE FOR "VISARJAN"OR IMMERSION CEREMONY.LORD GANESHA IDOLS ARE CARRIED WITH ACCOMPANYING MUSIC,INSTRUMENTAL DANCING AND THE THE CHANTING OF "GANPATI BAPPA MOURYA,AGLE BARAS TU JALDI AA"MEANING LORD GANESHA,OUR FATHER, GO NOW BUT RETURN SOON NEXT YEAR.

THE GANESHA OF LAL BAUG READY FOR VISARJAN.

AND FINALLY LORD GANESHA IS IMMERSED IN THE OCEAN/RIVER.PEOPLE COME IN LAKHS TO VIEW HIM AND WISH HIM A TEARFUL AND  LOVING  ADIEU/FAREWELL.

JAI SRI GANESH WE ALSO ARE BIDDING YOU A TEARFUL AND LOVING ADIEU.COME BACK SOON.GANPATI BAPPA MORYA MANGAL MOORTHI MORYA AGLE BARAS TU JALDI AA.