Lord Ganesha is considered as the symbol of wisdom and good luck. He is regarded as the reliever of obstacles and is the most worshipped Hindu God. This year all of India and especially Maharashtra would be Ganesh Chaturthi Celebration on Friday the 25th of August, but the celebrations are carried out for 10 days. The occasion is celebrated in order to mark the birthday of Lord Ganesha. Any new beginning starts with offering prayers to Lord Ganesha. Families get enthusiastic to welcome their Lord with decorations and variety of sweets especially the ‘mithai’,’modak’. On this pious occasion, we all should know some unknown facts about the festival.
The largest idol immersion of Lord Ganesha takes place in Mumbai and it lasts 24 hours. The festival is vivaciously celebrated in the state of Maharashtra, Karnataka, and parts of Andhra Pradesh. Outside India, it is celebrated in the Terai region of Nepal and by Hindus in the UK, US and Mauritius.
ChhartapatiShivajiMaharaj was the first to begin the tradition of worshipping Lord Ganesha in Maharashtra. In the year 1893, LokmanyaTilak who was a revolutionary freedom fighter urged the people of India to come together and celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi as his main motive was to bring about a sense of patriotism among the people at a time when the British had disallowed social gatherings.
On an average, there are about 8,000 Ganesh idols in the pandals of just Mumbai. The number of Ganesh idols that were brought home last year amounted to a staggering 1,80,000. Mumbai’s Lalbaugcha Raja’s immersion procession starts around 10 am and ends on the next day taking nearly 24 hours. Mumbai’s Andhericha Raja is the second longest immersion procession starting at 5 pm and ending early next morning.
Over 800 artisans and 500 workshops make over 7 lakh idols every year, which also gets exported to the UK and US. The Pen district of Maharashtra is one place that has mastered the art of sculpting Ganesha idol except for the workshops of Maharashtra. Lord Ganesha is also known as “VignaHarta” (remover of obstacles) and “BuddhiPradayaaka” (the giver of wisdom and intellect). These are just two among Lord Ganesha’s 108 names. The insurance cover for pandals across Maharashtra reaches up to a mind boggling 450 crore rupees. The famous Ganesha Idol Lalbaugcha Raja was covered with an insurance of a staggering 51 crore rupees.
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