Ganesh Chaturthi, also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi, is celebrated as the birth of Lord Ganesha, the Remover of Obstacles and God of New Beginnings. Featuring these wonderful celebrations in honor of the elephant-headed deity, this further leads to ganpati visarjan english (Gregorian) calendar date which takes place in either August or September.
Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated all over the country with great joy and enthusiasm. It’s a bit tricky to pinpoint exactly when people began celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi, but many experts think that the tradition dates back to the times of the Satavahana, Rashtrakuta, and Chalukya dynasties. According to historical records, the great Maratha leader Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaja started the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in Maharashtra to encourage the spirit of nationalism.
The tradition of Ganesh Visarjan
On the last day of the festival, the tradition of Ganesh Visarjan takes place. The concluding day of the 10-day festival is also popularly known as Anant Chaturdashi. As the word ‘visarjan’ implies, on this day immersion (‘visarjan’ means immersion) of Lord Ganapati’s idol takes place in a river, sea or water body. On the first day of the festival, the devotees mark the beginning of Ganesh Chaturthi utsav with the placement of Lord Ganesha’s idol in their homes, public places and offices. On the last day, the devotees come out in processions carrying the idols of their beloved God and perform immersion.
There is an interesting story behind the legend of Ganesh visarjan. It is believed that Lord Ganesha returns to Mount Kailash to join his parents Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati on the last day of the festival.
The celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi utsav also denotes the significance of the cycle of birth, life and death. Ganesha, who is also known as the Lord of New Beginnings, is also worshipped as the Remover of Obstacles. It is believed that when the idol of the Ganesha is taken out for immersion, it also takes away with it the various obstacles of the house and these obstacles are destroyed along with the visarjan.
Every year, people wait with great anticipation to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi utsav. And like always, we also hope that this year too, the Remover of Obstacles will shower us with his blessings and wipe out all the struggles from our life.
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