Ganesh Chaturthi

Tomorrow is Ganesh Chaturthi (Telugu: Vinayaka Chavithi), the day when people pray to Lord Ganesha who is treated as the first amongst the gods.

Ganesh Chaturthi is an occasion or a day on which Lord Ganesha makes his presence on earth for all his devotees. It is also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi in Sanskrit, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu. Also known as Vigneshwara & Ganapathy, Ganesha is one of the popular deities worshipped by members of most Indian religions. He is also the God of Knowledge and is invoked at the commencement of any function. He is the god that protects his devotees from any obstacles. He is also described as the Supreme Leader and is said to have had two spouses – buddhi (intellect) and siddhi (achievement). Thus he is the master of knowledge and achievement. The festival is observed in the Hindu calendar month of Bhaadrapada, starting on the shukla chaturthi (fourth day of the waxing moon period). While held all over India, it is at its most elaborate in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, and other areas which were former states of the Maratha Empire. This typically comes sometime between 20^th of August and 15^th of September. The festival lasts for 10 days, ending on Ananta Chaturdashi.

I remember that I was at work in the year 2005 on Ganesh Chaturthi when the whole of Hyderabad was celebrating it fervour! Hope tomorrow will be different Happy Ganesh Puja everyone…..