By Himanshu Guru: Ganesh Puja is being celebrated with much fanfare across India. Though Ganesh Puja is a Hindu festival, people from other religions also love to take part in this festival, thanks to the ideal prudence of international brotherhood.
As per the ritual of Hindu philosophy, Lord Ganesha is the God who should be worshipped at the commencement of any sacred event. Again, being the ‘Bighna-Vinashak’ or remover of obstacles, Ganapati Bappa is preferred to be worshiped for a hurdle-free completion of any task. And thirdly, during the mythology age as per legends Ganesh ji had been blessed with the boon to be worshiped by the mass. Perhaps there are the reasons that worship of Lord Ganesha is celebrated with such pomp and show.
Amit, Bhalachandra, Buddhinath, Devadeva, Ekadanta, Ganapati, Gaurisuta, Lambodara, Mangalamurti, Siddhivinayaka, Sumukha, Vakratunda and Gajanan are some other popular names of Lord Ganesha.
The birthday of Lord Ganesha is celebrated as the Ganesh Puja celebration with much enthusiasm. Goddess Parvati had created Ganesha out of clay and breathed life into him, as per the mythological belief. Hence, to mark His birthday, the 4th day of the waxing moon fortnight (Sukla pakshya) in the month of Bhadraba is observed as ‘Ganesh Puja’.
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The normal practice of observing Ganesh Puja includes establishment of a statue of the Lord made out of clay. But in recent time, devotees have developed creative methods of making the statue out of several other items. In the last few years, such innovative work of sculpture has been hugely witnessed. Artists/devotees apply any sacred material including banana, coin, camphor, fruits, incense stick ashes, basil wood and many more ingredients to make a statue out of it.
Again, though the standing or sitting pose of Lord Ganesha is the mostly adopted one for the idol, many organizations also make a statue at activity. Like warring Ganesh, worshipping Ganesh etc., where the Lord is seen to be at the middle of an activity. These ads have amplified fervor of the celebration to a great extent.
Interestingly, worshiping of Ganesh Deva has extended to several foreign countries including USA and Australia these days. The Indian communities over there celebrate ‘Ganesh Puja’ with full devotion. In Australia, ORIOZ Incorporated (Inc), the association of people of Odisha in Australia, celebrates the festival in most of the major cities including Sydney, Canberra, Perth, Brisbane and Melbourne.
In India, Maharashtra enjoys the prime position to venerate Ganesh Puja. It is the leading religious celebration there, which is spread over 11 days. Devotees love to avoid recipes with onion and garlic and consume only vegetarian food during the days of Ganesh worship. Last year, about 2.5 lakh small and big statues of the Lord were worshiped in Maharashtra.
When the statues are taken to the sea to be immersed, the atmosphere is filled with the chants of ‘Ganapati Bappa Moreya’. We, at The News Insight, wish all our readers a ‘Happy Ganesh Puja’. May the Bighna-Vinashak bless you with a smooth and hassle-free life!