Ganesh Chaturthi

Importance of Ganesh Chaturthi:

Lord Ganesha symbolises wisdom, good luck and fortune. Lord Ganesha is also called Gajanana, Ganesh, Gajadant, that are among his 108 names . Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated annually to mark the birth of Lord Ganesha, the God
of new beginnings and a fresh start. The festival falls in the month of Bhadra, according to the Hindu calendar and in August/September according to the Gregorian calendar. Lord Ganesha is considered to be a symbol of wisdom, writing, travel, commerce and good fortune. He is also addressed as Gajanana, Ganesh, Gajadant that are among his 108 names. On the tenth day, Lord Ganesha’s statue is immersed in water, known as Ganpati Visarjan. Devotees chant Ganapati Bappa Morya, paying respect to him as he is seen off, taking all our worries away and leaving blessings behind.

History

Legend tells the tale of Goddess Parvati who made baby Ganesha using sandalwood paste and asked him to guard the entrance while she took a bath. When Lord Shiva wanted to enter, Ganesha would not even allow him to pass
through. Lord Shiva, enraged by this, severed the child’s head. When Goddess Parvati realised what had happened, she was overwhelmed and heartbroken. This is when Lord Shiva promised that he would bring baby Ganesha back to life. He went on to instruct his followers (ganas) to search for the head of the first living creature they could find to replace on Ganesha’s body. However, the ganas could only find a baby elephant’s head. That is how Lord Ganesha
came back to life with the head of an elephant. Lord Shiva named him the leader of the ganas, or Ganapati.