Story of Ganesh Chaturthi
Once while Parvati, the consort of Lord Shiva, was bathing, she created a human figure, gave it life and asked to guard the door till she finished her bath. It so happened that Lord Shiva had completed a long span of meditation on Mount Kailash and desired to meet Parvati. However, he was stopped by the human created by Parvati at the door. Lord Shiva was infuriated and chopped off the human's head. Later, he discovered that the human was Parvati's son. To pacify Parvati, Lord Shiva ordered his attendants or "ganas" to procure the head of the first living creature they could find. Accordingly, they brought an elephant's head. Lord Shiva placed it on Parvati's son's body and brought it back to life. This day is celebrated as Ganesh Chaturthi. This elephant-headed god was named "Ganesha" or "Ganapati" which means "chief of the ganas".
Celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi
About a couple of months prior to Ganesh Chaturthi, clay models of Lord Ganesha are prepared. These may be 3/4th of an inch or more than 25 feet high. Every locality sets up its individual pandal. For this, voluntary and generous donations are procured from the members of the locality. Every pandal has a priest. Just before Ganesh Chaturthi, an idol of Lord Ganesha is purchased and brought to the pandal amidst fanfare and revelry. On Ganesh Chaturthi, the priest, dressed in red dhoti, performs "prana-pratishtha". It means infusing life into the idol. Then, the "shhodashopachara" or 16 ways of offering tribute are executed. 21 "modakas" (rice flour preparation), 21 "durvas" (trefoil blades), red flowers, coconut and jaggery are offered. On the forehead of the idol of Lord Ganesha, "rakta chandan" (red unguent) is applied. During this entire ceremony, shlokas (hymns) from the Rig Veda, Ganapati Atharva Shirsha, Upanishad and Ganesh stotra from the Narada Purana are chanted. Food (not containing onions and garlic) is cooked to mark this day.
The pandals are made attractive so that crowds throng to have their view during the 10 days of the festival. Some pandals have electrical lighting that sways as per the music or popular songs from Bollywood or other regional songs. Other depict some historical, political or mythological scene by using statues, which may be static or movable. Some may simply have some paintings portraying some event. One will unmistakably find a loudspeaker playing songs of various types. Particularly after sunset, a large number of people leave their houses to savor the ambience of these pandals. At least in big cities, this creates a traffic problem and necessitates the deployment of special traffic police to ensure that the movement of the masses is disciplined and no untoward incident takes place. "Aarti" (a ritualistic puja with hymns) is performed in the morning and the evening at every pandal. All the people in the locality around the pandal make it a point to attend at least the evening Aarti. On every occasion, Aartis of several gods are recited. Then, the devotees experience the heat of burning "kapoor" (camphor) placed on a plate, with their palms. They offer red flowers and "durva" grass and bow down before the Ganesha idol. Every day after each Aarti, a different "prasad" (small quantity of eatable) is distributed amongst all devotees.
Generally, after 12 noon on the Ananta Chaturdashi (10th day after Ganesh Chaturthi), all the Ganesha idols from the pandals line up on the roads. A procession of the idol is carried out. This is accompanied by singing, dancing and merrymaking. Eventually, the idol is immersed in a water body (river, lake or sea). Crowds sing quotes in the regional languages which mean "Lord Ganesha is returning to his home and hence we are uncomfortable" or "O Lord Ganesh! Come back early next year". This immersion procession continues for almost 24 hours. It ends around 12 noon the next day. The idol along with the garlands is immersed after a final Aarti.
Public celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi
Ganesh puja is a tradition in Maharashtra state since ancient times. However, it was Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak who began the practice of public celebration. It was in 1894, that he placed an idol of the Lord in Vinchurkar Wada in Maharashtra and started this practice. At this time, the social condition of the Hindus was unstable. They were not practicing their religion diligently and were not united. The supremacy of the Westerners suppressed their natural prowess. In such circumstances, Tilak started public Ganesh Chaturthi with the following aims:
- to create awareness about Hindu religion
- to nullify the feelings of animosity among people
- to revive the good religious customs
- to increase the awareness of the hidden prowess among Hindus
- to make people realize their rights and duties
- to start crusades that were essential at that point of time
Ganesh Chaturthi is very ornate in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh as these were parts of the former Maratha empire. Nevertheless, it is not only held in other parts of India but also outside India. In the city of Pune, there are five pandals called "Ganapati of Honor". These are "Kasba Ganapati", "Tambadi Jogeshwari", "Guruji Talim", "Tulsibaug Ganapati" and "Kesariwada Ganapati". The "Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati Mandal" and "Akhil Mandai Mandal" are a seat of tremendous reverence for crores of worshippers throughout the world.
Peril of modern Ganesh Chaturthi
Earlier, the idols were made of "shaadu mati" or earth/natural clay and did not evoke any criticism. However, with time plaster of Paris replaced shaadu mati as it was easier to mold, lighter and cheap. After immersion, plaster of Paris requires more time to dissolve and also releases toxic elements in the water bodies. Additionally, chemical paints are used to enhance the aesthetic look of these idols. These paints contain mercury and cadmium. On the day of immersion, thousands of these idols are submerged in the water. This causes a raise in the acidity and heavy metal content of the water. As a result, several fish perish in these water bodies.
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