mumbai and beyond: Ganesh Chaturthi : a Hindu Festival

We got back from the Maldives on the 28th September and the following afternoon we wondered down to Powai Lake. The lake is about a 20 min walk from our apartment. We were intrigued to see Hindus immerse their gods in the water {the lake in this instance}. You see, it's one of many festivals celebrated by Hindus and this festival is in honour of the elephant-headed god, Ganesha. This day happened to be the last day of the festival.

The full name is Ganesh Chaturthi and Chaturthi means "fourth day" or "fourth state".
Celebrations are traditionally held on the fourth day of the first fortnight in the month of Bhaadrapada in the Hindu calendar, usually August or September in the Gregorian calendar. The festival generally lasts ten days, ending on the fourteenth day of the fortnight {Anant Chaturdashi}.*

The festival is celebrated in public and at home. The public celebration involves installing clay images of Ganesha in public pandals {temporary shrines} and group worship. At home, an appropriately-sized clay image is installed and worshiped with family and friends. At the end of the festival, the idols are immersed and where they'll dissolve in a body of water such as a lake, pond or the sea.*

It is celebrated throughout India, especially in Maharashtra {Mumbai is in the State of Maharashtra}. There is a grand celebration in the state of Maharashtra by traditional instrument called dhol and tasha. It is also celebrated in the other parts of India such as Gujarat, Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and other parts of western and southern India. Abroad, Ganesh Chaturthi is observed in the Terai region of Nepal and by the Hindu diaspora in the United States, Canada and Mauritius. *

When we got to the lake, the crowds were huge. On one side of the dual carriageway, vehicles of many types would pass by with families in the back with their Ganesha. They were also covered in paint {which I had the 'privilege' of having some thrown at me from a passing vehicle} and we were told it was part of the celebration. At some point along the dual carriageway, the vehicles would turn around and come back down alongside the lake where they would stop. Most of the Ganashes were quite large and therefore heavy so a crane was needed. When the vehicle had stopped and everyone had got out or had hopped off the back of the flat-bed trailer, the crane would do it's thing - lift the Ganesh off the vehicle and placed in the lake. We weren't allowed to be on or near the 'viewing' platform, that was for the family to observe their god being submerged in the water.

Here are a few photos from that afternoon.......{it was dusk, so quality of most photos are not great}

yip - a lot of this; dad has the helmet and mom and the kids not so much

safety; not so much of an issue then

these four people {I am guessing they are a family} would get up and dance hoping to make some money. the moment the youngster saw our cameras, hands were up asking for money....