Lord Ganesha Rituals

Lord Ganesha Rituals

Before the ten-day ceremony begins, the household achieves an unmatched state of purity. Households and specially the place where the idol is to be placed, is cleaned and whitewashed. Ganesha idols that are newly moulded are brought from the innumerable street-side shops, which come up especially during the festival. The idols of Lord Ganesha are carried with their faces covered with a saffron cloth amidst the chanting and sound of cymbals. And as the evening approaches, his ideal is seated in a grandiose manner in the Puja room. He is installed as the supreme one who takes precedence over all others. This is called “Sthapana” when all the members of the household gather around the decorated altar. Then the priests perform a ritual by which the idol is said to be imbued with life. After that follows the traditional Puja. The Puja begins at the time designated. The ceremony begins by placing the image, usually made of terracotta, in a sacred arena. The worshipper then sips the holy water and performs the pranayama and bows against Ganesha and all the other gods. The Ganapathi Aarti and devotional chanting are sung along with the cymbals, bells and clapping. The “modak” a sweet is offered to the deity along with the flowers. This completes the ritual of the first day. For the remaining days, the idol is worshipped with simple recitations of the devotional songs, offering of flowers and lamps.

After the ten days of worship, the god returns to his heavenly abode and his image is immersed in the water. This is known as visarjan (immersion). All the people join the final procession to the ghats of a river or the ocean in Mumbai and other coastal areas. Shouts of 'Ganapathi babpa Morya, Purchya varshi laukariya' (beloved Ganesha, Lord of Morya, come again early next year) echo all over.
The event is now a massive celebration and is perhaps the world’s largest religion-inspired party. Trucks carry the huge idols of Ganapathi on roads while the devotees carry a red coloured called gulal to shower on each other.

Lord Ganesha Puja

Lord Ganesha Chaturthi (the birthday of Lord Ganesha) is one of the most famous Hindu festivals. It is celebrated in a grand manner throughout India, as well as by the devoted Hindus in all parts of the world. Lord Ganesha is the elephant headed God. He is worshipped before any prayer. His auspicious name is taken before any kind of work is begun. He is the lord of power and wisdom. By worshipping lord Ganesha, mothers hope to earn for their sons the excellent virtues of Lord Ganesha.

The Puja: Lord Ganesha Chaturthi is one of the most important festival for the people of Maharashtra and is celebrated in a grand manner among the Marathi communities worldwide. People buy idols of Ganapathi on the occasion of Lord Ganesha Chaturthi and keep them in their house as a divine guest for ten days, after which the image is taken out ceremoniously and thrown into the river, sea or well for immersion. The idol should not be kept in home after this day as it is considered inauspicious. The Puja can be a simple one performed with the family members and a small cassette of Shri Ganesha mantras, or an elaborate one, involving a priest who would come and perform the Puja. “Modak” is specially prepared during Lord Ganesha Chaturthi as Lord Ganesha loved it. As long as the Lord Ganesha Idol is at home, Aarti is performed morning and evening. At the same time, all the members present throw Kumgum on the idol. After the Aarti, flowers, haldi and Kumgum are offered to the women and Prasad is distributed to all those present. During Lord Ganesha Chaturthi, Aarti is performed five times and ends with a “Mantra Pushpanjali”

Sources from various internet site and listings.

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