{"id":5557,"date":"2005-09-14T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2005-09-14T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hinduismtoday.com\/hpi\/2005\/09\/14\/2005-09-14-nashville-hindus-celebrate-birthday-of-lord-ganesha\/"},"modified":"2005-09-14T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2005-09-14T12:00:00","slug":"2005-09-14-nashville-hindus-celebrate-birthday-of-lord-ganesha","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hinduismtoday.com\/hpi\/2005\/09\/14\/2005-09-14-nashville-hindus-celebrate-birthday-of-lord-ganesha\/","title":{"rendered":"Nashville Hindus Celebrate Birthday Of Lord Ganesha"},"content":{"rendered":"

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NASHVILLE, USA, September 12, 2005: Local Hindus, joined by hundreds traveling from around the Southeast, yesterday concluded a festive celebration of Sri Ganesh Chaturthi, the birthday of one of the most revered Hindu deities. Celebrating the birth of Lord Ganesh or Ganesha is the reason for one of India’s most elaborate festivals. It lasts 10 days, and rituals among believers include fasting, praying and laying out offerings to Ganesha, who is sometimes referred to as Ganapati. Sri Ganesha Temple in Bellevue was abuzz with activity yesterday, the final day of a local six-day observance. Out-of-town vendors operated tables that lined the foyer where groups of people gathered and greeted friends. Another 200 people sat cross-legged on the floor facing shrines for different Gods and Goddesses, quietly praying or listening as someone chanted the names of Ganesha in Sanskrit. “Ganesha removes all obstacles,” said Nagalatha Murali after painting rangoli, a traditional decoration, in the parking lot in front of the temple yesterday morning. “Ganesha means power and success and wisdom. We welcome the God in this way, by making his procession as beautiful as possible.” Murali painted beside Savitha Sarma. Murali’s husband, Ronur Murali Bhattar, and Sarma’s husband, H.K.Suryanarayana Sarma, are two of the temple’s six priests. A highlight of the celebration is an elaborate chariot ride made through communities in India. In Bellevue, barefoot worshippers pulled a chariot around the parking lot. After believers tossed flowers as they walked, clusters of children scooped them up while onlookers captured the scene with their cameras. Among the celebrants was Balkrishna Ratnaparkhe of Bombay, India, who sang bhajan, or devotional songs, and played Indian classical music. “It was a great honor for me to participate,” he said as a man sprayed water across the pavement to cool it before the procession started. “We are to offer our prayers, offerings to him. Before we get married, name a child, build a home, make any major decision, we are to go to Ganesha. In this world there is a misery, just like Katrina, and we pray to Ganesha to rid all the miseries, to help us find the strength to endure them.” The musician is traveling the country, participating in various Indian functions. <\/p>\n

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