Ganesh Chaturthi celebration is the main festival of Maharashtra and Mumbai in these ten days, and is worth the visit. During this festival, many people from all across the globe visit it. Pandal (makeshift temple) hopping is a famous pastime of people during this time. In these few days, mostly devotees, foreigners and photographers sit together and share meals served in these pandals.
Life takes up many colors and for ten days, the streets and roads relax. People come together and get busy welcoming and worshiping their Savior, Happy Ganesh Chaturthi Wishes to everyone around them.
Ganesh Chaturthi in 2020
Some states of India celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi with more pomp and show compared to other states. The names of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, & Telangana tops the list when it comes to Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations.
The idols are more than sixty feet tall in some pandals of Mumbai.
In Karnataka, people celebrate God Ganesha festival whenever they have some time during the whole month. The idol is kept in the pandal for three days before immersing it in the waters.
Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations happen on the fourth day after the New Moon of the Bhadrapada month. This day is the most important of this ten-day festival apart from Dashami (tenth day).
Ganesh Chaturthi falls this year on 22nd August 2020.
This year, believers and devotees of Ganesha would get a chance to celebrate it for eleven days and the last day coincides with Anant Chaturdashi, another auspicious day in the Hindu calendars.
Vinayaka Chaturthi primarily involves worshipping the idol, followed by its immersion in the waters on the tenth day.
Ganesh Chaturthi in Maharashtra
Nothing can beat the Marathi celebrations of Ganesha. In Maharashtra, every street is dressed with an infectious enthusiasm that can make you forget your pains for ten days.
Mumbai is alive during this time. ‘The city that never sleeps’ actually cruises to a screeching halt for these few days.
Ganesh Chaturthi was patronised by none other than Shivaji himself. Lokmanya Tilak, however, turned it into a local public event.
How do the Marathi people organise and manage Ganesh Chaturthi?
Usually, a lot of work goes into the making of a pandal. People form a committee that has a secretary, President and Treasurer leading the show.
There is no fixed fund source for these pandals, and the main amount for organising the Puja comes through donations from the local communities. Each person donates some amount of his savings to create happiness around these temples for the ten-days.
The idols are made year-round and creating one Ganesha idol out of straw and wood takes almost three months. Idols are built according to the choice of people and are then brought to the Pandal.
The number of Puja itinerary is also secured and only then starts the chants, hymns and the music in the pandal for the longest festival celebrations of India.
This year, however, people are fearful of leaving their houses. Ganesha for this year might be more of a homely affair due to the outpouring of COVID-19 in the state.
Do you want to know three places where you can spend time in Mumbai apart from this year during these ten days of Ganesh Chaturthi?
Three most visited Pandals for Ganesh Chaturthi Celebrations in Mumbai
The three happening places are:
1) Lalbaugcha Raja in Central Mumbai
The idol that adorns these makeshift temples is towering and the structure of the temple is what draws thousands of people to it, and that is what makes it extremely popular.
It is one of the most respected Ganesh Mandal contributing to its popularity.
2) Khetwadi Ganraj in Grigaim – South Mumbai
The pandal is famous for the real gold and diamond-studded idol that adorns it every year. It has hoisted the tallest idol of Ganesha in the history of Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai. People visit it every year to find out what new has been done with the decorations and arrangements of the pandal.
3) Andhericha Raja in Andheri.
The Ganesha idol in this temple is not as towering as the other pandals but the vighn Vinayak who sits in this temple is said to fulfil the wishes of many who visit it.
They decorate the pandal in the carnival-style every year and this idol comes up every year now, for almost 50 years. Celebrities and famous people come here every year on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi festival to pray to the wish-fulfilling Ganesha.
A small guide to the Ganesh Chaturthi culture and rituals
There are a few typical customary rituals that are to be done during the ten-day stay of Ganesha.
1) The beating of the drums and the loud chants greet Ganesha’s idol into the temple.
2) Pranasthapana is done after the idol is set on the stage made for him inside the temple. It is a specific ritual in which the soul of Ganesha is beckoned into a pot full of water.
3) Modak is served to the Lord on this day. It is the famous sweet of Lord Ganesha and is prepared in every home.
4) Evening and morning prayers are offered to the Lord for these ten days.
5) Specific rituals are performed on Ganesh Chaturthi which is the most famous of all these ten days.
6) On Ganesh Chaturthi people fast and after witnessing several hours of Pooja offer their greetings and their wishes to the Lord through a ritual known as Pushpanjali.
7) The end day is marked by releasing the soul of the Lord back into the void by severing the red thread that binds pot. After releasing the soul, the idol is immersed in the waters.
On the last day, idols compete for several prizes organised by the several trusts that run the show. People visit each other’s house and exchange sweets and greetings with families and friends. People usually make Shrikhand, Puran Poli, Modak, Patholi and Sabudanavada on this occasion and give it off to their near and dear ones.
If you are visiting Mumbai during Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, make sure you follow these rules.
- Do not wear your footwear into any temple.
- Do not try liquor, cigarettes and non-vegetarian food during these 10-11 days.
- Temples and pandals are crowded places and you must be careful with your kids and your belongings.
- On the immersion day, roads are blocked and thus, before you head out, know the best ways to reach your destination.
- Book your tickets to Mumbai in advance to avoid last minute panic from rise in fares and closed reservation notices.
Closing Lines
Lord Ganesha has immense importance in our lives. He is prayed in almost every home of the country. He is also very popular among the kids and every generation till date is aware of his miracles.
Ganesha is the destroyer of Evil, and is known to be the restorer of balance. He is worshiped every day for ten days both in the morning and during the evenings during Ganesh Chaturthi.
Here’s all about Ganesha and Ganesh Chaturthi in Mumbai.
This year it might not be so grand and pandal hopping might not be encouraged due to COVID-19 aftermath.
But no one can stop you from praying and no one can keep you from celebrating the festival with your closed ones.
Ensure you are masked appropriately and don’t forget to make sweets, for everyone around you needs a little more sweetness in their lives throughout the year.
Read more: Ganesh Chaturthi: Best Quotes, Wishes & Songs Download
Read more: Story Behind Ganesh Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chaturthi Celebration
