Ganesh Chaturthi (ISO: Gaṇeśa Caturthī), also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi (Vināyaka Caturthī), or Vinayaka Chaviti (Vināyaka Cavitī) or Ganeshotsav (Gaṇeśōtsav) is a Hindu festival commemorating the birth of the Hindu god Ganesha (Ganesh). The festival is marked with the installation of Ganesha's clay murtis (idols) privately in homes and publicly on elaborate pandals (temporary stages). Observances include chanting of Vedic hymns and Hindu texts, such as prayers and vrata (fasting). Offerings and prasada from the daily prayers, that are distributed from the pandal to the community, include sweets such as modaka as it is believed to be a favourite of Ganesha. The festival ends on the tenth day after start, when the idol is carried in a public procession with music and group chanting, then immersed in a nearby body of water such as a river or sea, called visarjan on the day of Anant Chaturdashi. In Mumbai alone, around 150,000 statues are immersed annually. Thereafter the clay idol dissolves and Ganesha is believed to return to his celestial abode.

Ganesh is a mythological character sometimes depicted as male but other times as female - a compilation of many attributes.

He is the first born son of Shiva and Parvati, and the husband of Bharati, Riddhi and Siddhi. He is also called Vinayaka in Marathi, Malayalam and Kannada, Vinayagar and Pillayar (in Tamil), and Vinayakudu in Telugu.

He is depicted as a big-bellied, yellow or red god with four arms and the head of a one-tusked elephant, riding on, or attended to by, a mouse. He is frequently represented sitting down, with one leg raised in the air and bent over the other. Typically, his name is prefixed with the Hindu title of respect, 'Shree' or Sri.

The cult of Ganesh is widely diffused, even outside of India. His devotees are called Ganapatya.The ganapati festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm and devotion throughout India but in Mumbai, the financial capital of the Country, the festival assumes a special significance because of the scale at which it is performed.

As is the case with every other external form with which Hinduism represents god, in the sense of the personal appearance of Brahman (also referred to as Ishvara, the Lord), the figure of Ganesh too is an archetype loaded with multiple meanings and symbolism which expresses a state of perfection as well as the means of obtaining it.

Ganesh, in fact, is the symbol of he who has discovered the Divinity within himself.Ganesha is the first sound, OM, in which all hymns were born. When Shakti (Energy) and Shiva (Matter) meet, both Sound (Ganesha) and Light (Skanda) were born.

He represents the perfect equilibrium between force and kindness and between power and beauty. He also symbolizes the discriminative capacities which provide the ability to perceive distinctions between truth and illusion, the real and the unreal.

A description of all of the characteristics and attributes of Ganesh can be found in the Ganapati Upanishad (an Upanishad dedicated to Ganesh) of the rishi Atharva, in which Ganesh is identified with Brahman and Atman.

According to the strict rules of Hindu iconography, Ganesh figures with only two hands are taboo. Hence, Ganesh figures are most commonly seen with four hands which signify their divinity. Some figures may be seen with six, some with eight, some with ten, some with twelve and some with fourteen hands, each hand carrying a symbol which differs from the symbols in other hands, there being about fifty-seven symbols in all, according to some scholars.

The image of Ganesh is a composite one. Four animals, man, elephant, the serpent and the mouse have contributed to the makeup of his figure. All of them individually and collectively have deep symbolic significance.

The serpent or dragon is an archetype for DNA.

The lord of good fortune

In general terms, Ganesh is a much beloved and frequently invoked divinity, since he is the Lord of Good Fortune who provides prosperity and fortune and also the Destroyer of Obstacles of a material or spiritual order. It is for this reason that his grace is invoked before the undertaking of any task (e.g. traveling, taking an examination, conducting a business affair, a job interview, performing a ceremony,) with such incantations as Aum Shri Ganeshaya Namah (hail the name of Ganesha), or similar. It is also for this reason that, traditionally, all sessions of bhajan (devotional chanting) begin with an invocation of Ganesha, Lord of the "good beginnings" of chants. Throughout India and the Hindu culture, Lord Ganesha is the first idol placed into any new home or abode.

Moreover, Ganesh is associated with the first chakra (energy wheel), which represents the instinct of conservation and survival, of procreation and material well-being.

Bodily Attributes

Every element of the body of Ganesh has its own value and its own significance:

The elephant head indicates fidelity, intelligence and discriminative power;

The fact that he has a single tusk (the other being broken off) indicates GaneshaÕs ability to overcome all forms of dualism;

The wide ears denote wisdom, ability to listen to people who seek help and to reflect on spiritual truths. They signify the importance of listening in order to assimilate ideas. Ears are used to gain knowledge. The large ears indicate that when God is known, all knowledge is known;

the curved trunk indicates the intellectual potentialities which manifest themselves in the faculty of discrimination between real and unreal;on the forehead, the Trishula (weapon of Shiva, similar to Trident) is depicted, symbolising time (past, present and future) and Ganesh's mastery over it;

Ganesh's pot belly contains infinite universes. It signifies the bounty of nature and equanimity, the ability of Ganesha to swallow the sorrows of the Universe and protect the world;

the position of his legs (one resting on the ground and one raised) indicate the importance of living and participating in the material world as well as in the spiritual world, the ability to live in the world without being of the world.

The four arms of Ganesha represent the four inner attributes of the subtle body, that is: mind (Manas), intellect (Buddhi), ego (Ahamkara), and conditioned conscience (Chitta). Lord Ganesh represents the pure consciousness - the Atman - which enables these four attributes to function in us;

The hand waving an axe, is a symbol of the retrenchment of all desires, bearers of pain and suffering. With this axe Ganesh can both strike and repel obstacles. The axe is also to prod man to the path of righteousness and truth;

The second hand holds a whip, symbol of the force that ties the devout person to the eternal beatitude of God. The whip conveys that worldly attachments and desires should be rid of;

The third hand, turned towards the devotee, is in a pose of blessing, refuge and protection (abhaya);

the fourth hand holds a lotus flower (padma), and it symbolizes the highest goal of human evolution, the sweetness of the realised inner self.

Ganesha is also defined as Omkara or Aumkara, that is "having the form of Om (or Aum) (see the section The names of Ganesha). In fact, the shape of his body is a copy of the outline of the Devanagari letter which indicates the celebrated Bija Mantra. For this reason, Ganesha is considered the bodily incarnation of the entire Cosmos, He who is at the base of all of the phenomenal world (Vishvadhara, Jagadoddhara). Moreover, in the Tamil language, the sacred syllable is indicated precisely by a character which recalls the shape of the elephant's head of Ganesh.

The broken tusk of Ganesha, as described above, stands primarily for his ability to overcome or "break through" the illusions of duality. However, there are many other meanings that have been associated with this symbol.

ALSO KNOWN AS:

Ganapati

ORIGIN:

India

FAVOURED PEOPLE:

Ganesh will allegedly help anyone who approaches him with a pure heart. He is the special patron of musicians who play the tabla and/or mridangam (percussion instruments), as well as authors, poets, and writers. In Thailand, Ganesha is considered patron of elephant trainers.

MANIFESTATION:

Ganesha has an elephant’s head on a man’s pot-bellied body. He has one broken tusk. His skin usually has a rosy hue. His big ears signify his capacity to listen and hear. His forehead is marked with vermilion, indicating his tendency to involve himself in issues associated with women (and his generosity toward female devotees).

ICONOGRAPHY:

There are countless images of Ganesh sitting, standing, dancing, or riding his mouse. Once you know what he looks like, he’s very recognizable.

ATTRIBUTES:

Axe, lotus, elephant goad, rosary, noose

Spirit allies:

Ganesh serves Parvati and Shiva. He may be enshrined with Lakshmi and Sarasvati.

Realm:

Ganesh’s home is a celestial realm called the Abode of Bliss (Svaanda Dhama). He lives in a marvelous palace surrounded by a forest of wish-fulfilling trees and an ocean of sugarcane juice.

COLOUR:

White, red, pink

ELEMENT

Water

Numbers:

1, 3, 5

ANIMALS:

Mouse, snake

Mount:

Mouse

OFFERINGS:

Ganesh is easy to please, but he cannot be fooled. He will accept the most modest offerings but only if given with sincere intent and devotion. His favourite offering is said to be modaka, a type of sweet rice or wheat cake. Allegedly the more modaka you give him, the more inclined he is to work on your behalf. Ganesha also accepts peanuts; fruits, especially bananas; sweets, candy, and sugarcane.