Facts about the Ganesh Chaturthi festival you would like to know about
Last updated on - Sep 13, 2018, 09:22 ISTShare fbsharetwsharepinshare
01/6Interesting facts about the Ganesh Chaturthi festival
India is one diverse country and to keep up with its festivals and facts about those festivals could be rather difficult. Today, we're here to talk about one of the biggest festivals in the country, especially one that's celebrated grandly in Maharashtra: Ganesh Chaturthi. The festival is a ten-day Hindu festival celebrated to honour the elephant-headed God, Ganesha's birthday. He is the younger son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Here are some facts we bet you would love to know regarding this ongoing festival that starts today.
02/6The festival was celebrated as a public event since the time of Maratha King, Shivaji
The first Ganesh Chaturthi celebration dates back to the era of Shivaji Maharaja. Post that, the festival continued to be celebrated by the Peshwas. However, after the fall of the Peshwas, the festival was revived by freedom fighter, Bal Gangadhar Tilak during 1893. Today, it's one enjoyed publicly and is one of the biggest communal festivals in the country.
03/6Lord Ganesha is considered superior to all Gods
It is believed that Lord Shiva gave a boon to Ganesha that he would be worshipped before any other Lord. Hence, he is considered superior to the other Gods. Also, throughout the festival, Vedic hymns from the Rig Veda, the Ganapati Atharva Shirsha Upanishad, and the Ganesha stotra from the Narada Purana are chanted.
04/6Other than in India, Lord Ganesha is also worshiped in other countries
Lord Ganesha isn't a God only celebrated and worshipped in India. He is also highly worshipped in Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Nepal and China. You might also be interested to know that it is believed that reciting the 108 names of Lord Ganesha during the festival brings good luck to the devotees.
05/6The foods eaten during this festival include modak and puran poli
Apart from modak and puran poli, various sorts of prasad are also eaten. Apart from these, karanji is another popular sweet offered to the Lord Ganesha along with modak and puran poli. These foods are offered as ‘bhog’ to the Lord and then consumed as prasad.
06/6Among others, Lalbaugcha Raja is one Ganpati mandal that's very famous
In Mumbai, there are famous Ganpati mandals like Lalbaugcha Raja, Mumbaicha Raja, Tejukayacha Raja, Chichpokli Chintamani, GSB, Andhericha Raja, among others. Lalbaugcha Raja is popularly known as ‘King Of Lalbaug’ and it’s one of the most famous Ganesh mandals situated in South Mumbai. Every year, celebrities such as Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Priyanka Chopra visit this mandal during the festival.
