Ganesh Chaturthi marks Lord Ganesh’s birthday. This day marks his rebirth with the head of an elephant that Lord Shiva put on his body.
The festival begins on the fourth day of the waxing moon period that is known as Shukla Chaturthi. On this day people bring in idols of Lord Ganesh to their houses and perform rituals to infuse the deity into the idol. What follows is ten days of regular puja to celebrate the homecoming of Lord Ganesh with fervor and pomp. On the tenth day, Uttarva pooja is performed so that the idol could be shifted after infusion. Finally the clay idol is immersed in water that signifies the return of Lord Ganesh to Mount Kailash to his parents Shiva and Parvati.
Offerings from the daily prayer mainly include yellow modaks, one of the favourites of Lord Ganesha. Devotees perform fasting and sing hymns during these ten days.
The festival is celebrated with classic splendor in Maharashtra where communities worship huge idols with music and magnificence that turns the entire state into the mood of festivity.
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