Rituals

During the Ganesha festival, a household worships a statue of Shri Ganesha. The worship lasts an odd number of days (from 1 to 11 days, sometimes 13).

This festival starting with the installation of beautifully engraved (sculptured) Ganesh idols in colorfully decorated homes and mantapas (pandals). The mantapas has been depicted by religious themes or current events. The idols are worshipped with families and friends. An enthusiastic spiritual atmosphere prevails.

The main sweet-dish during the festival is modak ([modagam]or [modakam] in South India) and karanjis. A modak is a dumpling made from rice flour/wheat flour with a stuffing of coconut, jaggery and some other condiments. It can be either steam-cooked or fried and the coconut can be fresh/dry grated. A karanji (also [karjikai]in kannada) is similar but has the shape of the 4th day moon.

There are also public celebrations of the festival, with local communities (mandalas) vying with each other to put up the biggest murti. The festival is the time for a lot of cultural activities like songs, dramas and orchestra.

Today, the Ganesh Festival is not only a popular festival - it has become a very critical and important economic activity for Maharashtra. Many artists, industries, and businesses survive on this mega-event. Ganesh Festival also provides a stage for budding artists to present their art to the public.

For the year 2007 in the Western Calendar, Ganesha Chaturthi has commenced on Saturday, September 15th and its attributed festival of ganesha's mother, gowri (a form of parvathi), gowripuja comes on 13th (the day before) [1].


History

Vinayaka Chaturthi Celebrations at home as per Telugu traditionsTraditional stories tell that Lord Ganesha (or Ganapati) (the names mean "Lord [isha] or [pati] of Shiva's hosts [gana]") was created by goddess Parvati, consort of Lord Shiva. Parvati created Ganesha out of sandalwood paste that she used for her bath and breathed life into the figure. She then set him to stand guard at her door while she bathed. However, while she bathed, Lord Shiva returned and as Ganesha didn't know him, he didn't allow him to enter. Lord Shiva became enraged and severed the head of the child and entered his house. After realizing that he had beheaded his own son, Lord Shiva fixed the head of an elephant (in some versions, Airavata, the vehicle of the god Indra) in place of Ganesha's head. In this way, Lord Ganesha came to be depicted as the elephant-headed God.

To know more about this deity, please read Ganesha.

Very nice Dimple

Lakshmi

Height: 100 feet

Weight: 900 tons (8,16,466 kg)

Trunk: 35 feet

Arms: 25 feet, biceps measure almost 10 feet in girth

Mouse: 5 feet

Modak: 6 feet

Where: 13 kms from Kolhapur

Hidden away in a little village off Kolhapur, this Ganpati is believed to be India's tallest idol, and therefore, the world's too.

MiD DAY's Omkar Sapre stumbles across this mammoth on a casual visit to the town.


God almighty

Check out the 100 ft Ganesha idol

kolhapur: Mumbai may boast of super-rich, gold plated Ganpatis insured for Rs 7 crore, mammoth 30-40 ft idols and every day crowds that touch upwards of 10 lakh, but none of the idols can stand up to the Kolhapur Ganpati.
At 100 ft, the Toap Sambhapur idol near Kolhapur is reportedly the tallest Ganpati in the country and probably the world. Named Chinmaya Ganadheesh, the idol is the biggest attraction in Maharashtra.
Built by the Chinmaya mission, the Ganpati is seated on the coils of a five-headed snake. Built over 18 months, it's made out of cement, sand and a framework of iron.
The idol was made public in November 2001, but since it's hidden away in a small village, few have heard of it, let alone seen it. It was crafted by artists from the Chinmaya Mission with the help of 50 labourers and is balanced on 25 pillars.
Chaitanya Swami, a trustee of the Chinmaya Mission said, "We perform a maha aarti and abhishek in the morning and evenings and devotees are given mahaprasad. We have devotees coming all through the year, but the number goes up to 10,000 during festivals and days like chaturthi."
The Ganesha idol of the Borivali Ektta Saarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal is the tallest in Mumbai at 25 feet. It has been made by Vijay Khatu.

Enter the age of ecoganpati

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Natural choice: An eco-friendly jute Ganapati


Ganesh utsavs have always been about the biggest, finest or the most unusual idols. This year though, there's a trend towards environmental friendly Lord Ganesh idols.
A barrage of information about environment-friendly Ganapatis was released prior to the festival and Internet discussion boards had posted ideas on the subject too. I think the trend is here to stay.
A website called fropper.com has hosted something called ecoganpati.com, which creates awareness about the environmental hazards of Plaster of Paris idols. The website is asking people to come forward and sign a petition against such idols to help make the festival a cleaner and healthier event for the coming years. I think even the mighty elephant God would raise his trunk and salute that.

One last look before He returns next year, at Gorai beach, Borivli, yesterday

The elephant god was immersed yesterday, and B-Town folks were spotted at pandals around Mumbai paying their last respects to Ganpati bappa before his final journey to the ocean. Here’s a look...

Title: Maha Ganapati Mool Mantra
Singers: Verious Artists
Audio File: mp3
Bitrate: 160
Duration: 5:03
Click to view attachment

Title: Ganapati Prarthana & Ghanapaath
Singers: Verious Artists
Audio File: mp3
Bitrate: 160
Duration: 4:47
Click to view attachment

Title: Sankat Naashnam Ganesh Stotram
Singers: Verious Artists
Audio File: mp3
Bitrate: 160
Duration: 4:43
Click to view attachment