Lord Ganesha is worshipped for his ability to bring good luck and being the destroyer of obstacles. He is famous for navigating on a rat/mouse, symbolic of having conquered the pest.
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A lot of Hindu deities cruise on animals in the form of vehicles. Ganesha too is seen riding different animals, but the most famous one is a mouse. The story behind the mouse is strikingly interesting, during the ancient period when everyone depended on agriculture as the only source of income, rodents were the biggest obstacles and Ganesha helped overcome this obstacle. It is said that the mouse that Ganesha rode was an evil demon. The defeated demon had promised to carry Ganesha from that day on.
This year, Ganesh Chaturthi will be celebrated on August 22 (Saturday).
The celebration of this festival began 125 years ago in Pune and is still celebrated in the state of Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.
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In Mumbai’s Siddhivinayak Temple, Prabhadevi, thousands of devotees from all around the world attend prayer meetings. To honour Lord Ganesha, devotees offer milk, jaggery, coconuts, money, flowers, and sweets to him.
Ganesha, also called Ganapati, is the elephant-headed Hindu deity. Many Hindus believe that it is extremely auspicious to pray to Lord Ganesha before beginning a new venture. It is also believed that he was created by Shiva and Parvati to fight off all demonic beings. The most famous story that revolves around the birth of Lord Ganesha is that Shiva severed the head of Ganesh, as Ganesha was guarding the door for Parvati while she was bathing and did not allow Shiva to enter. After this, Parvati was heartbroken and infuriated at Shiva. Shiva promised to bring Ganesha back to life; he did so by replacing Ganesha’s head with the head of an elephant.
Ganesh Chathurthi is a 10-day festival. During this period people enjoy eating modaks and hymn aartis dedicated to Lord Ganesha. On the first day of this celebration, specially crafted idols of Lord Ganesha are installed in homes by devotees and on the last day of the celebration, the idols are immersed in a water body.
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