July 1988
Origin of Ganesha Visarjana
Deodhar, S.K.
Lokmanya Tilak from Maharashtra,
who first raised the banner for Indian independence and freedom from
British rule, gave the call around 1910 to celebrate the Ganesh festival
as a public puja, so as to mobilize people to come together to build up a
strong, united India, based on her holy traditions and scriptural
teachings.
Since then, people observe the festival, both at home
and in public, with options of 1‡ days to 5, 7 or 10 days. The tenth day
is Ananta Chaturdasi, which coincides with the puja to Ananta, the Holy
Serpent.
The tenth-day immersion procession is truly spectacular in
many cities, when thousands of idols are taken to the sea or river with a
lot of music, dance, rejoicing, street-chariots and decorations. These
continue often throughout the tenth night, up to the eleventh day
morning.
Ganeshotsava is the popular name for the festival, but
Gajanana and Ganapathi are also used. The festival is observed on the
fourth day of the moon (chaturthi) in the month of Bhadrapada (September),
or in the month of Magha (January). The former - which is most popular in
Maharashtra - is known as Ganesh Chaturthi, while the latter is known as
Ganesh Jayanthi.
The story goes that once when Lord Siva was out
and far away, his wife. Goddess Parvati, wanted to sit in meditation at
home for a long period, undisturbed by anyone; so she built a beautiful
idol out of mud, and created life in it by invoking the Sanjeevani
Mantram. She then placed this living idol at the entrance of her home and
sat for prolonged meditation. In between, Lord Siva returned home. When
prevented to go inside by the living mud-guard. Lord Siva was angry and
beheaded the guard with his Trisula.
Parvati was grief-stricken;
She loved the idol, as if it was Her son, and She entreated Lord Siva to
fit back the head again, so that Her dead son would become alive. Lord
Siva then roamed through the Himalayan forests. He came across a head of
an elephant, which was alive; He picked it up, came home and pressed it on
the dead body, which came to life with the elephant head as Lord
Ganesha.
The day on which Parvati created the guard, and started
Her meditation, was the fourth day of Bhadrapada, while the day on which
Lord Siva fitted the elephant head was the fourth day in the month of
Magha. Both days are celebrated.
The celebration consists of
bringing an earthen idol from the market and doing puja in the traditional
style as you would do for a respected guest who comes to your home. When
it is time for a guest to depart, we offer him gifts and food for his
travel. Then we accompany him up to the border of the village, which is
often a small stream or rivulet; as the guest enters the water of the
stream, we bid him goodbye and return home.
This old tradition is
observed in the Ganesha festival, by immersing the earthen idol in the
river, sea or tank and people returning home when the idol is immersed.
The observance was originally for one and one-half days; bringing the idol
on the first day, doing the puja, rejoicing and immersing it on the second
day. But later, many people increased the period to celebrate the festival
with more joy, devotion, music, religious talks, etc.
Article
copyright Himalayan Academy.
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