From Maharashtra to Assam, India set to bring Ganapati home
Ganesh Chaturthi 2022: Apart from India, the festival is also celebrated in Nepal, as well as among Hindu community elsewhere in Australia, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa, the US and Europe.
Ganesh Chaturthi, Gowri Habba and Vinayaka Chaturthi are just a few names to associate the auspicious Hindu festival celebrating the birth anniversary of Lord Ganesha. The festival is celebrated over a period of 10 days, beginning on the fourth day of the moon cycle – Chaturthi – when Ganesha is believed to have been born and is brought home in the form of an idol.
Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated across India, especially in states like Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Goa and Karnataka. It is also celebrated in Nepal, as well as amongst Hindu diaspora elsewhere in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, parts of Caribbean, Fiji, Mauritius, South Africa, United States, and Europe.
It ends on Anant Chaturdashi, also known as Ganesh Visarjan, which is celebrated with pomp and enthusiasm as people take out huge processions on streets to finally immerse the idols into a water body.
How Ganesh Chaturthi is being celebrated across India in 2022:
Maharashtra
Ganesh Chaturthi is one of the biggest festivals in Maharashtra. Every household is beautifully decorated with flowers and lights, the idols are adorned, mouth-watering delicacies are prepared, while prayers resonate across societies to honour the festival of the elephant-headed god. Huge pandals are set up for community events for the festival.
In Thane, this year, a 120-feet high replica of Ayodhya’s Ram Temple is being constructed in Dhamankar Naka area in Bhiwandi. There was also a lot of talk around the Chinchpokli Chintamani Ganesh idol, which was unveiled in Mumbai amid a huge crowd.
The civic body in India’s financial capital of Mumbai – the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) – has lifted Covid restrictions for the first time since 2020 which would help revellers enjoy Ganpati festivities from August 31 onwards.
Karnataka
In Karnataka, the celebrations go on for 10 days, during which Gouri Vrata is performed as “Mangala Gauri” by women for good life and prosperity. The celebrations begin with Bhadrapad Shudh Chaturthi to the Ananta Chaturdashi. The Karnataka government has imposed a complete meat and slaughter ban in Bengaluru on Wednesday and also released a set of guidelines for pandals ahead of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival.
Goa
In Goa, which shares its borders with Maharashtra, the festival is celebrated with pomp and splendour as families come together. This, however, leads to a rush on state-bound trains, especially from the Konkan region of neighbouring Maharashtra.
A Konkan Railway Corporation Limited official said it was running extra trains from Mumbai due to the seasonal rush as people from all areas along the Konkan coast in Maharashtra make a beeline for their native villages in Goa.
Gujarat
In Surat, celebrations began late night on Sunday when a Ganesh Yatra was organised by Lord Ganesha devotees in Surat, where they gathered for the celebration in huge numbers. In Vadodara, artists gave their final touches to the Ganesh idols in the final stages, ahead of the Ganeshotsav celebrations. These artists are preparing the idols according to the theme of the pandal, which this time is Ram and Shiva.
Madhya Pradesh
In the capital city of Bhopal, Ganesh Chaturthi is being celebrated in an environmentally conscious way. To save the environment, an artisan prepared Ganesh idols from sago and black pepper seeds, making it 100 per cent eco-friendly with no artificial colours.
Haridwar and Assam
Preparations of Lord Ganesh’s clay idols are in full swing by artisans in Haridwar. Idols of different colours were in high demand.
Preparations are also underway for Lord Ganesh’s clay idols in Assam’s Dibrugarh. Sculptors are spending day and night in making the Ganapati idol.
Odisha
Pandal decorations in Odisha’s Bhubaneswar are in full swing, and people are excited to celebrate the Ganeshotsav after two years as the city’s civic body finally allows it. This year, there will be no restriction on visits to the pandals for ‘Darshan’, they said.
Meanwhile, in Cuttack, police have asked the Ganesh puja committees to stick to standards in idol making and decorations at the puja mandaps. They warned that deviations that religious sentiments, if hurt, will invite stringent action. The city had earlier witnessed queer idols at puja mandaps where Lord Shiva was shown puffing pipe, Lord Ganesh in designer outfits, and riding a motorcycle.
