Ten days festivity in honour of the Elephant headed God.
By ketybhagat
@ketybhagat (4123)
India
September 25, 2007 12:44am CST
In India, we celebrate the Ganesh Utsav, in honour of the elephant headed God who is also called the Protecector from all Evils and Hardships, who fulfills peoples wishes. Lord Ganesh is made from clay and mud , beautiful images and kept in specially made tents for ten days. Different shcemes and different types of Ganesh are made and the statues reach as high as one to two stories. There is a particular place in Mumbai called Lalbaug. The idol there is called King of Lalbaug, and is huge. There is soooo much faith in this particular idol of Ganesha that people stand for 24 to 40 hours in a queue to touch his feet. Many a wishes are fulfilled. A person who had no children for 17 years was blessed with a son the very next year he prayed to this idol. My son with his friends stood from 11 am in the morning and just managed to get to touch His feet at 3am the next morning. After 10 days, amidst much pomp and ceremony the idols will be immersed in the seas. He is indeed a protector from evil and eases our hardships. Jai Ganesha.
1 person likes this
1 response
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
25 Sep 07
Thank you for your post. I have seen little versions of Ganesh Utsav, especially in stores that sell Asian goods and I always wanted to know about Him.I love elephants and I thought it is cool that Ganesh has an elephant head.So thank you. And I hope you have a great festival. Oh before I forget, why do you immerse the idols into the sea?
@ketybhagat (4123)
• India
26 Sep 07
The Ganesha idols are made from mud and clay taken from river banks. You have to see them to believe the beauty of the artisians. Each idol is different from the other and yet they are soooo beautifully made, it makes you proud. Well, to come to the point, we take from nature and return it back to nature, so the idols are immersed in water. This is our way of saying thank you to nature and worshipping it. May Lord Ganesha bless you and your family. Amen.
1 person likes this
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
30 Sep 07
Thank you. I get it. That is beautiful. It reminds me of the tradition the Navajo nation has. They make these beautiful art made of colored sand. They are circles and when they are finished, they return the sand back to it's original state.Thanks for answering my question. Take care.
