Friday, August 21, 2009

Vinayagar Ganesha Sathurthi Festival



Ganesha or Vinayagar Sathurthi is widely celebrated by Hindus everywhere. The festival will lasts for 10 days. Every year normally this festival comes in Avani (August-September).

The main sweet-dish for this function is modakas (kuzhukattai), also known as modagams in South India. A modaka is a sort of dumpling made from rice flour with a filling of coconut, jaggery (brown sugar) and few other ingredients. Puranas say that Lord Ganesha was created by Goddess Parvathi, wife of Lord Shiva. Parvathi created Ganesha out of the sandalwood dough and breathed life into him. She made him stand as a gaurd at the door while she went to have her bath. However, while Parvati was taking her bath, Lord Shiva happened to arrive there and as Ganesha didn't know him, he didn't permit him to enter the house. As a result, Lord Shiva got angry and he severed the head of the child baby and entered his house. But after realizing that he had beheaded his own son, Lord Shiva permanent the head of an elephant in place of Ganesha's head. In this way, Lord Ganesha acquired the image of the elephant-headed God.

Special prayers are performed for Ganesha on this auspicious day. In every kovil and in each and every house in India the festival will be celebrated in a very grand manner. On this day people will buy vinayager statue made of clay and do poojas for 3 to 10 days. During poojas he will be festooned with arugambul mala which is a very favorite for Lord Ganesha. After 3 days of this celebration Lord Ganesha will be taken to the nearest temple (kovil) and from there he will be submerged in the sea water.

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