'Festival Season - Vinayaka chaturthi ( B-day of lord Ganesha)'

One more important festival for Hindus, this time as well I celebrated festival away from family but it was again happy celebrations at home. Here I posted few pics of our pooja at home.

Ganesh Chaturthi is an important Indian festival. Ganesh Chaturthi is observed in order to celebrate the birthday of Lord Ganesh (who is the son of Shiva and Parvati, according to Hindu mythology). In Karnataka before the day of Ganesh Chaturthi, people indulge themselves in Gowri Puja(gowri = Parvathi) .

Parvati, wanted to bath and having no-one to guard the door to her house, conceived of the idea of creating a son who could guard her. Parvati created Ganesha out of the sandalwood paste that she used for her bath and breathed life into the figure. She then set him to stand guard at her door and instructed him not to let anyone enter.



In the meantime, Lord Shiva returned from the battle but as Ganesha did not know him, stopped Shiva from entering Parvati's chamber. Shiva, enraged by Ganesh’s impudence, drew his trident and cut off Ganesha's head, Parvati emerged to find Ganesha decapitated and flew into a rage. She took on the form of the Goddess Kali and threatened destruction to the three worlds of Heaven.

sent out his ganas, or hordes, to find a child whose mother is facing another direction in negligence, cut off his head and bring it quickly. The first living thing they came across was an elephant. That elephant was facing north(the auspicious direction associated with wisdom). So they brought the head of this elephant and Shiva placed it on the trunk of Parvati's son and breathed life into him.


This elephant-headed god was welcomed into the first family of the Hindu heavens and named Ganesha or Ganapati, which literally means the chief of the ganas. Parvati was still upset so Lord Shiva announced that everyone who worships Ganesha before any other form of God is favored. So Ganesh is worshipped first in all Hindu occasions and festivals.