Ganesh Chaturthi Pooja

Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated with extreme enthusiasm in India. This festival is celebrated to commemorate the birth of Lord Ganesha, the son of Lord Shiva and Parvati. It is celebrated with immense zeal and fervor throughout the country.

However the celebrations of this festival in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh are well known for their exceptional grandeur every where. The entire celebration of this festival goes on for ten days. On the final day of the festival, the devotees of Ganesha observe a whole day fast and take out a long procession of the Lord in the city. During these ten days, the devotees gather together for the celebration every day at the temporarily arranged Pandal to worship their deity. 

Pooja :

On the day of Ganesh Chaturthi, devotees take ritual bath, wear new clothes and get ready to perform the Vinayaka Chaturthi Pooja. Then, the beautiful clay idol of Lord Ganesha is brought to the house and pandal with the face of the idol covered with a saffron cloth. After this, the idol is placed properly on the makhar in the houses and pandals. The idol is then beautified with fresh flower garlands and sandalwood paste. Before invoking Lord Ganesha, a kalash i.e. the earthen or brass pot filled with holy water is established with the rice kept down the kalash. This is called as Purna Kumbha Kalasha Sthapana. After this ritual, the holy ritual called as Pranapratishtha is done to invoke life into the idol of Lord Ganesha with the chanting of the consecrated mantras. This ritual is followed by another known as Shhodashopachara i.e. 16 ways of worship. For performing this ritual, there are various things which are required and it includes coconut, 21 modaks, betel leaf and betel nut, 21 blades of dhruva grass, incense sticks, sandalwood paste, sindur, camphor, cotton wicks. The number 21 denotes the five organs of action, the five organs of perception, five essential pranas, five elements and the mind. Devotees try performing the rituals of Ganesh Chaturthi Pooja with a clean body and pure mind and heart.

While performing the rituals, Vedic hymns from the Rig Veda and Ganapati Atharva Shirsha Upanishad are chanted and along with this, Ganesha Stotra from the Narada Purana is chanted. After chanting the mantras, Ashtottara Shatanamavali or 108 names of Lord Ganesha and the Ganesh Chaturthi Katha is recited. Then, at the end of performing all the rituals, Ganesha aarti is recited and is performed by using the earthen lamp (diya) with the cotton wick dipped in pure ghee. This is performed twice a day: in the morning and in the evening. People offer prasad of modaks, laddus, pedas, charnamrit made up honey, curd, ghee, milk and fresh flowers to Lord Ganesha. After all this, people bow in front of the idol of Lord Ganesha and pray for the well being of everyone. They also apologise for any mistake done while performing the rituals.