The celebrations of the ten-day Ganesh Chaturthi festival started throughout the country on Wednesday. With the coronavirus pandemic no longer casting its shadow on the celebrations, Ganesh Puja is being held in a grand manner this year.
Idols of Lord Ganesh, the god of prosperity and wisdom and a slayer of obstacles, were installed in homes with pomp and gaiety and accompanied with chants of "Ganpati Bappa Morya".
Devotees worship the famous Lalbaugcha Raja Ganpati
Ganesh mandals in Mumbai and other major cities of Maharashtra took large idols in processions accompanied by dhol-tasha beats to their pandals in the last few days. Devotees also worshipped the famous Lalbaugcha Raja on the first day of Ganesh Chaturthi at Lalbagh and thronged vegetable and flower markets, sweet shops and roadside stalls to buy flowers, puja materials, sweets and decorative items.
Devotees perform rituals before idols of Ganesha at a community puja pandal.
Ganesha Puja, introduced in public spaces by freedom fighter Lokmanya Tilak in then Bombay province on the lines of Bengal's Durga Puja, has now become popular in Kolkata as well, a metropolis whose citizens have many devotees of goddesses Kali and Durga.
In Kolkata, the demand for Ganesha idols had grown so much this time that some artisans of the city's clay modellers hub, Kumartuli, had to turn down last-minute orders.
A giant idol of Lord Ganesh prepared using 'Vel' is displayed at a pandal in Chennai.
A giant idol of Lord Ganesh prepared using 'Vel', the spear associated with Lord Murugan, made of satin fabric and sticks is displayed at a pandal in Chennai
A unique 32-feet high idol of Lord Ganesh made of fig trees in Tamil Nadu's Nagapattinam district is the newest attraction for this Chaturthi festival in the state. The gigantic idol "Athi Vinayagar" was made with 83 fig trees.
Sanvordekar Wada, a 288-year-old mansion in South Goa's Sanvordem village.
In Goa, the festival is a time for family reunion for many who have migrated out of the state. Sanvordekar Wada, a 288-year-old mansion in South Goa's Sanvordem village, has more than 250 members coming together to celebrate Ganesh Puja.
A devotee takes Lord Ganesha's idol home.
People from Puducherry and the neighbouring Tamil Nadu districts also made a beeline to the famous shrine of Manakula Vinayakar in the heart of this town to offer prayers to the presiding deity. Clay models of Lord Ganesha made by rural artisans in and around Puducherry were selling like hot cakes.
Several materials including paper umbrellas forming part of the decoration of the deity were much sought after by the residents celebrating the festival at homes.
Political leaders and film and television personalities also welcomed the deity to their homes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday greeted people on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi and wished that the spirit of kindness and brotherhood always prevail.
"Best wishes on Ganesh Chaturthi. May the blessings of Bhagwan Shri Ganesh always remain upon us," he tweeted.
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