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Ganesh Chaturthi is a ten-day Hindu festival celebrated in honor of the elephant-headed god Ganesha. He is the youngest son of King Shiva and the goddess Parvati.
Ganesha is known by 108 different names and is the Master of Arts and Science and the Strength of Wisdom. He is revered at the beginning of rituals and ceremonies as he is regarded as the God of origin. It is commonly called Ganapati or Vinayaka.
There are two different versions of Ganesha's birth. One is that Goddess Parvati created Ganesha with dust on her body while she was bathing and set her up to guard her door while she finished bathing. Shiva, who had left, returned at that moment, but as Ganesha did not know about him, he prevented her from entering. An angry Shiva beheaded Ganesha after a fight between the two. Parvati became angry and Shiva promised Ganesha that she would live again. The devas who would seek the head facing north of the dead man could only hold the elephant's head. Shiva fixed the elephant's head on the baby and brought it back to life.
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Another legend says that Ganesha was created by Shiva and Parvati by asking the Devas, to become Vighnaharta (obstacle-creator) in the way of rakshasas (demon creatures), and Vighnaharta (obstacle-averter) to help Devas.
This year, September 17 marks the start of the festival, also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi. Here are some quick facts about the festival:
The festival begins with Shukla Chaturthi which is the fourth day of the growing month and ends on the 14th day of the moving month known as Anant Chaturdashi.
Maharashtra is a province known for its great Ganesh Chaturthi festivals. During the festival, colored pandals (temporary temples) are set up and the Lord is worshipped for ten days.
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There are four main rituals during the festival - Pran Pratishtha - the process of adding a god to the murti or idol, Shodashopachara - 16 types of tribute to Ganesha, Uttarpuja - Puja after which the image can be changed after the insertion, Ganpati Visarjan - Idol immersion in the river.
Foodies await Modak, a delicious meal prepared using rice or flour filled with ground jaggery, coconut, and dried fruit. The plate containing Modak should be filled with twenty-one pieces of candy.
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The festival has been celebrated as a public event since the time of Maratha King Shivaji, but the statue of Sarvajanik (Public) Ganesh was first posted by Bhausaheb Laxman Javale.
Lokmanya Tilak changed the ceremony from a private ceremony to a major public event "to close the gap between the Brahmins and the non-Brahmins and found the right context for building a new bond between them".
Lord Ganesha is also worshipped in Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Nepal, and China.
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