Feeling the fervour of Ganesh Chaturthi
On this day of Ganesh Chaturthi, let’s unravel a few intriguing trivia about the Ganeshotsav
The great Ganesh Chaturthi of Mauritius is as old as 1896. Ganeshotsav is a public holiday in Mauritius. Mauritians of Marathi origin celebrate this festival. The Bhiwajee family of the Cascades valley in Henrietta first started this festival and since then this tradition of Ganesh Puja is prevalent in Mauritius as one of the celebrated and marked festivals of the year.
Ganesha for so many years likes to take a dip in Thames, London, and France. Indian's celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi for the first time in London in 2005 at the Vishwa Hindu Temple; and the idol was immersed in the River Thames at Putney Pier. Ganesha temple of Paris Sri Manicka Vinayakar Alayam holds Ganesh Chaturthi. The statues present allow visitors to pray to the numerous Hindu gods, including Ganesh, Durga, Ayyappan, Vishnu, and Bhairava.
Ganesha, according to Uttarakhand’s Kailasu natives, was born in their small town! Residents of the Kailasu region in Uttarkashi district believe that
Lord Ganesha was born at Dodital, a freshwater lake. As per the beliefs of the locals, Lord Shiva married Parvati at Triyuginarayan temple and the place where angry Shiva chopped off Ganesha’s head. Ganesha is also called Dodi King in the area.
In 2020, no to
Plaster of Paris and only cow dung Ganesha idols. Since the last few years amidst the controversies brewing among the environmentalist crusaders, there is a paradigm shift from the use of Plaster of Paris to natural products like Cow dung. The idols are made of all-natural materials like cow dung, edible color, lime, and others, which are not only attractive but easy to immerse in a bucket of water after the festival is over. That water can be re-used for plants.
CORONA GANESH is the new color for Ganesh Chaturthi in 2020. While the ongoing coronavirus crisis has dampened the spirit of all festivals people of Indore and Bengaluru have come up with the unique idea of creating different perspectives of Ganesha idols. They made a set of idols showing victory over coronavirus and another one where Ganesha is a doctor. Apart from Corona Ganesh, Masked Ganesha, Tricolour Ganesh are other popular colors.
The Ganesha Idol, Lalbaugcha Raja, is believed to grant all wishes to people since 1932. It was first dressed in Fisherman’s attires. The idol of Ganesha is Navasacha Ganpati which means the ‘one who fulfills all wishes’. Mumbai’s Lalbaughcha Raja is perhaps the most talked-about Ganesh Mandals in the world. In 1932, the Traders and fishermen didn’t have a permanent place to do business. So their prayers to Ganesha got them the land from the zamindars. In 1934, Ganesha’s idol was dressed in the conventional style of fisherman.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak — The man who brought Ganesha to the streets. In 1892, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, a pivotal leader in the freedom movement, carried Lord Ganesh out of homes to the streets to bring about a spirit of solidarity among the masses. While Ganesh Chaturthi has been observed since the 16th when it was confined households. It was an important celebration among the Peshwas, the prime ministers of the Maratha empire.