A morning ‘Aarti’ was performed at Shri Siddhivinayak Temple in Mumbai on September 19, ahead of Ganesh Chaturthi. A huge gathering of devotees thronged the two-centuries-old shrine dedicated to Bhagwan Ganesh, as the ten-day-long celebration begins.
Even as a festive cheer was palpable in Maharashtra and elsewhere in the country, people were busy decorating their homes with flowers and rangolis and bringing idols of Bhagwan Ganesh into their homes.
Markets and streets bustled with people trying to make last-minute purchases for the festival.
Shopowners made robust sales of decorative materials, lights, lamps, crockery and clothes while vendors sold flower garlands, fruits, sweets and ‘Matoli’ items such as betel nuts, local citrus fruits, coconuts and incense.
Exquisitely carved Ganesh idols by artisans and students were awaiting arrival at pandals.
Following the auspicious day, devotees took a holy dip in Sangam in Uttar Pradesh. The devotees were seen offering prayers and taking a dip in the river early in the morning.
Ganesh Chaturthi festival is celebrated every year with great fervour, with thousands of devotees thronging temples and pandals for a darshan of the Bhagwan.
The Ganesh Chaturthi festival, which falls in the Bhadrapada month of the Hindu calendar, marks the birthday of Bhagwan Ganesh, son of Shiva and Parvati. Also known as Vinayak Chaturthi or Ganeshotsav, the festival is characterised by the installation of Ganesha idols at home and in gilded pandals (make-shift stage).
The 10-day festival ends with elaborate immersion processions on Anant Chaturdashi.
(with inputs from ANI)
