Ganesh Chaturthi, also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chavithi is the Hindu festival in which we worship god Ganesha after installation in house individually and public places by various groups. This auspicious day is celebrated as the birthday of lord Ganesh which is the elephant headed son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Generally, Lord Ganesh is the symbol of wisdom, prosperity and good luck.
Ganesh Chaturthi Celebration Date: A ten-day festival, it begins on the fourth day of Hindu luni-solar calendar month Bhadrapada, which normally falls in the months of August or September of the Gregorian calendar. Generally, it falls on Shukla Chaturthi of the Hindu month Bhadrapada (August or September). In 2018, Ganesh Chaturthi is on September 13. (See calendar). Anant Chaturdasi is on September 23. In 2019, Ganesh Chaturthi is on September 2. Anant Chaturdasi is on September 12. In 2020, Ganesh Chaturthi is on August 22. Anant Chaturdasi is on September 1.
How to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi?
This festival is celebrated by Hindus with a great fervor and devotion. The festival is celebrated by the installation of Ganesha clay idols at homes personally, or publicly on decorative pandals (provisional stages). We observe daily worship of Ganpati, chanting of vedic hymns, Ganesh Aarti, prayers and fasting for 10 days. In the modern times, it is observed that installation of Ganesh idol from 1 1⁄2, 3, 5, 7 or 10 days which depend of individual availability and time at home. At public places, it is worshiped for whole 10 days. Offerings and prasadam is distributed between the devotees and public daily include sweets and fruits. Generally, modaka is believed to be a favorite of sweet of Ganesh and offered and distributed daily.
As per tradition, the festival ends on the tenth day known as Anant Chaturdasi after start and on this 10th day as Anant Chaturdasi, the idol is carried in a public procession with music and group chanting, then immersed in a nearby body of water such as a pond, river or ocean. As per report, around 150,000 statues are immersed annually in Mumbai. As per myth, afterwards the clay idol dissolves and Ganesha is believed to return to Mount Kailash to their parents Parvati and Shiva.
This festival is celebrated with the hope of new beginnings and remover of obstacles due to worship of god of wisdom and intelligence Ganesh.
It is celebrated throughout India, particularly in the states such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Telangana, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh and is generally celebrated privately at home in states such as Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
Internationally, Ganesh Chaturthi is also observed in Nepal and by the Hindu diaspora elsewhere such as in the Trinidad, Suriname, Fiji, Mauritius, United States and in Europe. It is also observed a lot of awareness camps, contests, competitions, holy dances, dramas and religious exhibitions are noticeable during these 10 days.
In the sanctification ritual, a priest does a Prana Pratishtha to invite Ganesha like a guest. This is followed by the 16-step Shodashopachara ritual, (Sanskrit: Shodash, 16; Upachara, process) during which coconut, jaggery, modaks, durva grass and red hibiscus (Jaswand) flowers are offered to the Ganesha idol. As per the region and timezone, the ceremony commences with hymns from the Rigveda, the Ganapati Atharvashirsa, the Upanishads and the Ganesha stotra (prayer) from the Narada Purana are chanted. Generally, Aartis are performed with associates and family, normally in the morning and evening.
Significance of Anant Chaturdasi:
There is a question in mind that why the immersion of Ganeshi idols concludes on Anant Chaturdasi. As per Sanskrit language, Anant refers to eternal or infinite energy, or immortality. The day is actually dedicated to the worship of Lord Anant, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu (the preserver and sustainer of life, also referred to as the supreme being). Chaturdasi means the “fourteenth”. In this case, the occasion falls on the 14th day of the bright half of the moon during the month of Bhadrapada on the Hindu calendar.
Myth and History of Ganesh Chaturthi Celebration:
Political History of Ganesh Chaturthi Celebration: As per history, it is uncertain when the festival began. As per history, it became a main social and public event with sponsorship of Shivaji after Mughal-Maratha wars, and again in the 19th century after public appeal by Indian freedom fighter Lokmanya Tilak, who campaigned it as a means to oppose the colonial British government ban on Hindu gatherings through its anti-public assembly legislation in 1892.
As per British time history, the festival became a public event later, in 1892 when Bhausaheb Laxman Javale (also known as Bhau Rangari), installed the first sarvajanik (public) Ganesha idol in Pune. In 1893, the Indian freedom fighter Lokmanya Tilak admired the celebration of sarvajanik Ganesha utsav in his newspaper, Kesari, and devoted his efforts to launch the annual domestic festival into a large, well-organised public event. Tilak acknowledged Ganesha’s appeal as “the god for everybody”, and according to Robert Brown, he chose Ganesha as the god that bridged “the gap between Brahmins and non-Brahmins”, thereby building a grassroots unity across them to oppose British colonial rule.
History of Ganesh Word origin: About history of word Ganpati, Vinayaka Ganesh, the earliest mention of Ganapati, now considered equivalent to Ganesha or Vinayaka, is found in the Rigveda. The Vedic term Ganapati which literally means “guardian of the multitudes”. Ganapati also mentions in post-Vedic texts such as the Grhya Sutras and thereafter ancient Sanskrit texts such as the Vajasaneyi Samhita, the Yajnavalkya Smriti and the Mahabharata mention Ganapati as Ganesvaras and Vinayakas. Ganesha mentions in the medieval Puranas in the form of “god of success, obstacle remover”. The Skanda Purana, Narada Purana and the Brahma Vaivarta Purana, in particular, generously praise him.
Mythical story behind Ganesh Chaturthi Celebration:
Generally, there are numerous stories attached to his birth. As per one mythical story, Goddess Parvati was the creator of Ganpati. She, in the absence of Lord Shiva, used her sandalwood paste to create Ganesha and put him to guard while she had gone for bathing. While she was gone, Lord Shiva got into a fight with Ganesha as he did not allow him to enter, as per his mother’s instructions. Furious, Lord Shiva cut off Ganesha’s head. When Parvati saw this sight, she took the form of Goddess Kali and threatened to end the world. This worried everybody and they asked Lord Shiva to find a solution and tranquil the fury of Goddess Kali. Shiva then ordered all his followers to instantly go and find a child whose mother has her back towards her child in negligence and bring his head. The first child seen by the followers was that of an elephant and they, as ordered, cut his head and brought to Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva instantly placed the head on Ganesha’s body and brought it to life again. The rage of Maa Kali was pacified and Goddess Parvati was overwhelmed, once more. All the Lords blessed Ganesha and the day is celebrated as Ganesh Chaturthi in memory and celebration of lord Ganesh.
As per other legend that Ganesha was created by Shiva and Parvati on request of the Devas, to be a vighnakartaa (obstacle-creator) in the path of rakshasas (demonic beings), and a vighnahartaa (obstacle-averter) to help the Devas.
Environment friendly Ganesh Idols:
Every time, Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations end with the immersion of Ganesha idols into the sea, rivers, lakes or ponds. As most Ganpati idols are made from Plaster of Paris and toxic, non-biodegradable chemical colours, the immersion ends up causing water pollution which is dangerous for marine life. For avoiding the environmental damage, many devotees have started installing Ganpati idols that are both inventive and eco-friendly. Nowadays, there is a huge demand for ‘green’ idols to celebrate the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. The materials are used to make environment friendly Green Idols include Soil, candy wrapper, fish-friendly wheat, rice, turmeric, gobar (cow dunk), chocolate, sugarcane, coconut husks, alum and masala etc.
Ganesh Chaturthi Special Dishes and Cuisines:
There are a lot of cuisines which are prepared on the occasion of this festival. Modak, Karanji, Laddu, Vundrallu, Panakam, Vadapappu, Panchakajjaya and Chalividi are offerings which are known as naivedya, and a plate of modak traditionally holds 21 pieces of the sweet.
Modak: The main sweet dish during the festival is modak (modak in Marathi and Konkani, modakam or kudumu in Telugu, modaka or kadubu in Kannada, kozhakatta or modakkam in Malayalam and kozhukattai or modagam in Tamil). A modak is a dumpling made from rice or wheat flour, stuffed with grated coconut, jaggery, dried fruits and other condiments and steamed or fried.
Karanji: The famous sweet dish is the karanji (karjikai in Kannada), similar to modak in ingredients and taste but in a semicircular shape. This sweet meal is called Nevri in Goa and is synonymous with Ganesh festival amongst the Goans and the Konkani diaspora.
Coconut Ladoo: It is a mouthwatering sweet dish is made by desiccated coconut and sugar.
Motichoor/boondi Ladoo: It is a delicious sweet dish is made by gram flour/besan and sugar.
Besan Ladoo: It is a delicious sweet dish is made by gram flour/besan, dry fruits and sugar.
Rava Ladoo: It is a delicious sweet dish is made by semolina, khoya, desiccated coconut and sugar.
Atta Ladoo: It is a delicious sweet dish is made by wheat flour, ghee and sugar.
Maladu: It is a delicious sweet dish is made by roasted gram flour.
Til Ladoo: It is a delicious sweet dish is made by sesame seeds, jaggery, peanuts and desiccated coconut.
Modak, Laddu, Vundrallu: In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana modak, laddu, vundrallu are steamed, coarsely ground rice-flour balls.
Panakam: It is a jaggery-, black pepper- and cardamom-flavored drink.
Vadapappu: it is soaked moong lentils.
Chalividi: it is a cooked rice flour and jaggery mixture.
Panchakajjaya: It is a Karnataka sweet dish to offer Ganesh. It is a mixture of desiccated coconut, roasted Bengal gram powder, sugar, ghee and sesame.
Puran Poli: Sweet flat breads/roti type are made during Ganesh Chaturthi Celebration specially in Maharashtra.
Patholi: Steamed rice rolls made in turmeric leaves are made during Gauri Ganesh Celebration specially in Konkan and Goan regions.
Sabudana Vada: Crisp fried rounded vada is made with tapioca pearls, peanuts and mashed potatoes.
Sabudana Khichadi: A tasty fasting dish is made with tapioca pearls cooked with peanuts and potatoes.
Ganesh Chaturthi Aarti and Chants:
During Ganpati celebration, people light earthen lamps and perform aarti of Lord Ganesha by chanting the aarti mantras for Lord Ganesha. We are giving here lyrics of several aartis of Lord Ganesha which you can chant while performing the puja.
Jai Ganesh Deva Aarti:
Jai ganesh jai ganesh jai ganesh deva
Mata jakii parvatii, pitaa mahaadeva
Eka danta dayavanta, char bhuja dhaarii
Mathe sinduura sohai, muuse kii savari
Jai ganesh…
Andhana ko aankha deta korhina ko kaayaa
Banjhana ko putra deta nirdhana ko maaya
Jai ganesh…
Haar charhe, phool charhe aura charhe meva
Ladduan ko bhoga lage sant karen seva
Jai ganesha…
Dinan ki laaj rakho shambhu putra vaari
Manorath ko pura karo jai balihaari
Jai ganesha…
Ganesh Chaturthi Aarti:
Shendur lal chadhayo achchha gajmukhko, dondil lal biraje sut gauriharko
Hath liye gudladdu sai survarko, mahima kahe na jay lagat hoo padko.
Jai jai shri ganraj vidhyasukhdata, dhanya tumara darshan mera man ramata
Ashto siddhi dasi sankatko bairi, vignavinashan mangal murat adhikari
Koti surajprakash aisi chhabi teri, gandasthala madmastak jhoole shashihari.
Jai jai shri ganraj vidhyasukhdata, dhanya tumara darshan mera man ramata
Bhavbhagat se koi sharanagat ave, santat santat sabhi bharpur pave
Aise tum maharaj moko ati bhave, gosavinandan nishidin gun gave.
Jai jai shri ganraj vidhyasukhdata, dhanya tumara darshan mera man ramata.
Aarti Ganeshji Ki:
Jai ganeshji ki jai ganeshji ki, aarti karein hum sab ganesh ji ki, aarti karein hum sab ganeshji ki.
Aap hai swaami dhukh harta, dukhiyon ke palankarta
Aap hai bhagwan sukh daata, om jai jai shri gananaatha
Hum sab sharan mein hai bhagwan, o shiv gan muskhak vaahan
Jai ganeshji ki jai ganeshji ki, aarti karein hum sab ganesh ji ki, aarti karein hum sab ganeshji ki.
Aap to hai gauri nandan, aap to hai mann se vandan
Aap to hai jan sukhdaayak, kehti hai duniya gananaayak
Aap ki puja ghar ghar mein, kasht nivaare pal bhar mein
Jai ganeshji ki jai ganeshji ki, aarti karein hum sab ganesh ji ki, aarti karein hum sab ganeshji ki.
Ganesha Aarti In Marathi:
Sukhkarta dukhharta varta vighnachi, nurvi purvi prem krupa jayachi
Sarvangi sundar uti shendurachi, kanthi zalke mal mukta- phalachi.
Jay dev jai dev jay mangal murti, darshanmatre mankamana purti.
Ratnakhachit fara tuj gaurikumra, chandanachi uti kumkumkeshara
Hirejadit mugut shobhato bara, runzunati nupure charni ghagaria.
Jay dev jai dev jay mangal murti, darshanmatre mankamana purti.
Lambodar pitambar phadivarbandhana, saral sond vakratunda trinayan.
Das ramacha vat pahe sadana, sankti pavave nirvani rakshave survarvandana.
Jay dev jai dev jay mangal murti, darshanmatre mankamana purti.
Ganesh Chaturthi Bollywood Songs:
Ganesh Chaturthi is a festival of love, joy, celebration, colours, music, and dance. The 10-day long festival began with much zeal and enthusiasm in India. Bollywood movies have a special dedication for Lord Ganesha and are featured a lot of songs in the Hindi films and other language films. On the occasion of Ganesha Chaturthi, we are giving top 10 songs that really captures the zest of the festival.
- Aala re aala Ganesha – Daddy (2017)
A track ‘Aala re aala Ganesha…’ from the film Daddy captures the grand Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in Mumbai.
- Deva Shree Ganesha – Agneepath (2012)
The song has been composed by Ajay-Atul and is sung by Ajay with lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya. The track tributes to the Lord Ganesh for the inner strength.
- Jalwa – Wanted (2009)
The devotional cum foot-tapping number ‘Tera He Jalwa..’ was among the most popular tracks and had Anil Kapoor, Govinda and Prabhu Deva in a special appearance with lead actor Salman Khan.
- Gajanana – Bajirao Mastani (2015)
The devotional song is sung by Sukhwinder Singh is from the movie Bajirao Mastani that features Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Priyanka Chopra in lead roles.
- Bappa – Banjo (2016)
The song from the film Banjo is picturized on Riteish Deshmukh. The fusion rock song is composed by Vishal-Shekhar and the beautiful lyrics is written by Amitabh Bhattacharya.
- Sindoor Lal Chadayo – Vaastav (1999)
Sindoor Lal Chadayo from the 1999 movie Vaastav is a ‘must play’ on Ganesh Chaturthi. The music of the song is composed by Jatin-Lalit and is sung by Ravindra Sathe.
- Mourya Re – Don (2006)
The song from the Amitabh Bachchan starer Don’s remake starring Shah Rukh Khan is more of a visarjan (immersion) song. The song ‘Mourya Re’ is an energetic song that sets the festive mood. The soulful track is sung by Shankar Mahadevan.
- Shree Ganeshay Dheemahi – Viruddh (2005)
The song ‘Shree Ganeshay Dheemahi’ is sung by Shankar Mahadevan and was scored by Ajay-Atul.
- O My Friend Ganesha – My Friend Ganesha (2007)
The song is very popular among the little ones and was a must play in every school function.
- Ga Ga Ga Ganpati – ABCD (2013)
The song Sadda Dil Vi Tu (Ga Ga Ga Ganpati) from the dance drama film ABCD is composed by Sachin-Jigar and is sung by Hard Kaur.