Ganesh Mahautsav in Mumbai

By Rebati Mohan Sinha, Mumbai

The ten days celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi started in Mumbai from 3rd Sept and will continue till the 12th of Sept 2008 amidst great devotion and grandeur.

These days it is very common to see the idols of Lord Ganesha in every household of Mumbai since, irrespective of Maharastrians or non Maharastrian, Hindu or Sikh-Ishai, every one believes that having an idol at home brings peace and prosperity.

Ganesh Chaturthi has always been celebrated with much more aplomb in Mumbai than any other places of Maharashtra. This festival is probably the only one, where not only does family keep the Ganesha idol in their home but also visit relatives and friends home. Like Durga Puja in West Bengal, the devotees hop from one mandap of Sarbajanik Ganautsav to another for a darshan of their beloved elephant headed God. The idol, Lalbaugh Cha Raja is famous for its gigantic size. Last year about 65 lakh devotees had a darshan and the offerings in term of gold and money was more than a crore.

Ganeshutsav has such importance in the minds of the people because of his divine status given among all the Hindu Gods, where no puja can start with out the invocation of his name and also because of his power to destroy obstacles for which he is popularly known as the ‘Vighnaharta’.

Most of the families in Mumbai do not keep the idol for 10 days at their home, some families worship for a day, some for 3 days, few for 5 days or 7days. The immersion starts from the 3rd day at various beaches of Mumbai.

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