Ganesh Festival

Ganesha, the god of new beginnings and prosperity, patron of 64 performing arts, and the lord of science, intellect, and wisdom has many names. Arts and science are part of the Hindu religion. Ganesha/Ganpati is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities. Ganesha is the most favorite god! Although Ganesha has many attributes, he is readily identified by his elephant head. Ganesha is also part of Buddhism. This god is called Kangiten in Japan. Although every household has Ganesha idols, special Idols of Ganesha are made by using clay and brought homes in a procession. At the start of this 10-day festival, idols of Ganesha are placed on raised platforms in homes or in elaborately decorated outdoor temples. Special dishes and sweets are made every day as Naivedya (offerings to God), the steamed Modak being the most popular sweet. On the tenth day, the idols are immersed in a river or sea. Ganesh Chaturthi assumed the nature of a gala public celebration when the Maratha ruler Shivaji Raja(c. 1630–80) used it to encourage nationalist sentiment among his subjects. When the British banned political assemblies, the festival was revived by the Indian nationalist leader Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Today the festival is celebrated worldwide and is particularly popular in Maharashtra and parts of western India.