Thursday Challenge - CULTURE (Food, Dance, Clothing, Festivals,...)

 

The 10 day festival of Ganesha was just concluded in India.

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Ganapati Bappa Morya

'Ganapati Bappa Morya' (Praise the Lord) are the cries that Mumbai will reverberate today with, to mark the end of the Lord Ganesh festivities. All the idols will be immersed today.

P.S. In response to Carol - Hindu deities are seen to be accessed through points of symbolic focus known as murtis. For this reason, the immersion of the murtis of Lord Ganesha in nearby holy rivers is undertaken since the murtis are acknowledged to be only temporal understandings of a higher being as opposed to being 'idols,' which have traditionally been seen as objects worshipped for their own sake as divine.

That's my world

The Festival of the elephant headed God 'Lord Ganesh' began in Mumbai in right earnest on the 23Aug09. Have presented a collage to show the different activities that go on, on the eve of the festival.

Lord Ganesh is considered to be the God who removes all obstacles from the path of your life, hence is worshopped at the beginning of any auspicious ocassion.

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Visarjan (Immersion)

Thousands of Ganesh idols of various sizes are taken for immersion in huge processions with devotees dancing all along the route to the immersion point.

It is a nightmare for the traffic authorities but the Mumbai traffic police does an excellent job to ensure smooth proceedings for the devotees and the normal traffic.


I could not go to the immersion point, hence I took this picture from the TV on which the immersion was being telecast live.

Flowers

Flowers being woven into garlands to decorate the Gods. The festival is bonding time for the ladies of an extended family.

Aarti

Aarti, ãrti, arathi'Aarthi or ãrati is a Hindu ritual, in which light from wicks soaked in ghee (purified butter) or camphor is offered to one or more devas/devis. It is said to have descended from the Vedic concept of fire rituals, or homa. The word may also refer to the traditional Hindu devotional song that is sung during the ritual. Aarti is performed and sung to develop the highest love for God. "Aa" means "towards", and "rati" means "the highest love for God" in Sanskrit.

Smaller idols are worshipped at home. The pictures beside the idol are those of Lord Ganesh's parents. His father's name is Lord Shiva and mother's name is Parvati.

The drummers announcing the arrival of Ganpati Bappa or Ganesh

Ganpati Bappa Morya

'Ganpati Bappa Morya - Welcome home Ganpati (Lord of good things/times)
The Ganesh idol being brought in a truck with great fanfare on the 15thsep07 in Bandra (East). This is the idol being brought for 11days celebration by residents of Bandra (East) who have contributed monetarily and otherwise for this occasion that was popularised by Lokmanya Tilak during India's freedom struggle for mobilising local groups towards the greater cause.


Traditional musicians singing hymns accompanying the idol.

Bright....

Heres a bright one! In the cities these statues are made of Plaster of Paris. In the rural areas they are made of clay.

Intricate...

Heres one with intricate designs....

A big one..

One of the bigger ones awaiting completion...

Some more

Here again, idols in different stages of completion with a few ready to be housed.

Various stages

Ganesh statues or idols in various stages of completion..

Creation..

The making of the idols of Lord Ganesh has begun in Mumbai in right earnest. Ganesh or Ganapati as this elephant headed God is known, is one of the millions of 'gods' in the pantheon of the most user friendly religions - Hinduism. The 10 day festival of Ganesh will begin on 14September and end with the immersion of the idols in ponds,wells,lakes,rivers or seas. This festival is celebrated with great fanfare in Mumbai. During the Indian freedom struggle, Lokmanya Tilak (freedom fighter) used this festival to get people together in large numbers and spread the fire of freedom fighting in Mumbai. So to a Mumbaikar, this festival has a national as well as religious significance.