Lord Ganapati or Lord Ganesha is a famous Hindu God who many devotees worship. His blessings are believed to remove all obstacles on the path to one's success. The divine Lord Ganesha is the giver of fortune, prosperity, and wisdom. He is the protector against natural calamities. This is why Ganesh Chaturthi, the birthday of the Elephant God, is one of the most popular festivals in India.
If you want to know more about the festival and its rituals or if you have any astrology-related questions, get in touch with expert astrologers on Astroyogi.
Getting to Know Ganesh Chaturthi
Ganesh Chaturthi celebrates the birth of the divine Lord Ganesha, the God of wisdom, wealth and good fortune. This famous Hindu festival, also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chavithi, is celebrated during the month of Bhadrapada. As per the Hindu calendar, this auspicious 10-days festival starts on the 4th day (Shukla Paksha Chaturthi) and ends on the 14th day of the first fortnight (Anant Chaturdashi). According to the English calendar, this festival usually falls in August or September. This year, the festival will fall on 7th September 2024 (Saturday).
The Madhyahna Ganesha Puja Timing: The auspicious time for performing the Puja on 7th September 2024 is from 11:03 AM to 01:34 PM. The duration for the same is 2 hours and 31 minutes.
It is a widespread belief that during this time, Lord Ganesha visits the home of his devotees and brings good luck and fortune for them. On this day, devotees pray to Lord Ganesha to give them spiritual strength so that they succeed in all their endeavours. Lord Ganesha's blessings offer the devotees the wisdom and the strength to move forward in life. His bl essings also eliminate any obstacles that might come in the path to success. This auspicious festival is a celebration of a new beginning.
This auspicious festival is celebrated with great fervour and excitement all over the country. However, the grandeur of this festival can be clearly noticed in Indian states like Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and of course, Maharashtra. There are a number of rituals and customs that people follow during this festival. Let's get to know a little about them.
A popular tradition followed on the first day of Ganesh Chaturthi is to avoid looking at the Moon. Looking at the Moon on Ganesh Chaturthi creates Mithya Dosham or Mithya Kalank, which means a false accusation of stealing something.
People sing devotional songs, dance, observe fasts, adorn their houses, and burst crackers during this festival. The day begins with the worshippers taking a ritual bath and donning new clothes to perform the worship of Lord Ganesha. Cleanliness and purity of the body and mind is a prerequisite for worshipping any deity. An idol of Lord Ganesha is bathed in scented water (Abhishekam). Then it is covered in new saffron cloth. It is safely placed on a pedestal and adorned with sandalwood paste and fresh flower garlands.
Among the many traditional delicacies offered to the deity, Modak reigns supreme. Modak, a dumpling or a conical sweet made up of rice or flour stuffed with grated jaggery, coconuts, and dry fruits, is a popular food in this festival and is the main 'prasad' offered to Lord Ganesha. It is considered to be Lord Ganesha's, favourite sweet. Other delicacies of this festival include Appam, Pedha, Sundal, Barfi, Laddoo, and Karanji. According to traditional rituals, 21 Modaks and 21 Durvas (a sacred, special three-bladed grass) are essential for Puja.
Lord Ganesha is worshipped with sixteen rituals. The prayers are followed by "Puranik Mantras", which are chanted during Ganesha Chaturthi Puja. Some of the popular Ganesh Puja Mantras sung by the devotees are 'Ganesha Shubh Labh Mantra', 'Ganesha Gayatri Mantra', and 'Vakratunda Ganesha Mantra', among others. After this, devotees bow in front of Lord Ganesha and pray for the well being of everyone. They also apologise for any mistake done and ask the Lord to cleanse them of their sins.
The Ganesh Chaturthi rituals conclude with the aarti of Lord Ganesha. Aarti is a ritual of worship in the Hindu religion in which a sacred earthen lamp that contains a cotton wick is dipped in pure ghee, which is then lit. On the 11th day of the celebrations, Lord Ganesha's idols are bid adieu by the devotees by immersing them in water. The day of Ganesha Visarjan is associated with long processions and huge energetic crowds.
Hands down, Ganesh Chaturthi, is one of the most coveted and energetic festivals celebrated in the diverse land of India.
If you want to learn more about the Ganesh Chaturthi Puja and its methodologies, turn to the expert astrologers on Astroyogi.
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