Holy ritual held at Jubilee River

SLOUGH: A holy Hindu ritual was held at the Jubilee River in Slough for the first time earlier this month – helping worshippers feel closer to their Indian heritage.

The official Ganesh idol immersion took place at the Jubilee River Riverside Centre on September 1 and 4.

It is part of a 10-day festival, in which more than 100 families attended the event in the first two days of the Ganesh festival.

Followers of the Hindu faith came to immerse figures of the Hindu god Ganesh, which they have been worshipping at home during the festival.

The ritual is done to signify the birth cycle of Ganesh.

The idol is immersed in water so that Ganesh may return to his home after his stay at the devotees’ home or temple.

Idols are made from clay and other environmentally friendly materials that dissipate in the water.

This event is the first of its kind in Slough.

Previously, people were hesitant to perform the Ganesh immersion in the river because there was no official site to do so.

Most Hindu families either did not have the idol of Ganesh at home or did the immersion in a bucket.

Several families wore Indian ethnic dresses to give the occasion a typical Ganesh Festival feel.

To make the celebration more vibrant, organisers played Hindu religious songs in the background.

Aarti – songs sung in praise of the deity – were performed for all the Ganesh idols.

The first official Ganesh visarjan (immersion) was arranged by the Indian Diaspora in the UK (IDUK) with Jubilee River Riverside Centre and Slough West Indian People’s Enterprise (SWIPE).