Mangalore: Ganesh Chaturthi Celebrations In Full Swing
by Nina Rai - Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore
Pics: Spoorthi Ullal & Dayananda Kukkaje
Watch Exclusive Video
Click Here
Mangalore Sep 15: According to the ancient scriptures, Lord Ganesha is a God who brings happiness to all worlds, who destroyed the demon Gajasura, and is supposed to be immortal, merciful, and all-forgiving. He is also said to bestow all devotees with a well-disposed mind.
This time around in Mangalore, Ganesh Chaturthi which happens to be the birthday of Lord Ganesha, the son of Shiva and Parvati, and the God of wisdom and prosperity, is being celebrated here in an unusual manner, not seen for the past several years.
Every where, whether it is Ashok Nagar, Pratap Nagar, Car Street or Sanga Niketan we are seeing people carrying the idols of Lord Ganesha on their head. This is indeed a rare sight as for every Ganesh Chaturthi in Mangalore from the past 30 to 35 years the idols used to be placed on trucks and other vehicles, with devotees following, chanting bhajans and dancing and singing in merriment.
Here in Mangalore we are noticing in the case of smaller idols, processions of devotees carrying small idols of Lord Ganesha on their heads. However in the case of huge idols of Ganesha, as seen above, a group of four of five able bodied devotees carry the idol in ‘Pallakis’ (wooden planks). These idols have been taken from the place where it is sculpted by the shilpakar (sculpture) as early as 5 o clock in the morning, and from there directly taken to the devotee’s homes after which the pooja ceremony or the puja archane is performed in a traditional manner. Later different varieties of fruits, flowers and sweets are offered to Lord Ganesh in veneration, one of which is a sweet called Modak, a yellow flower shaped sweet which is believed to be a favorite of Lord Ganesha
In some cases, the devotees perform the regular Puja Archene (ceremony) till late evening and then immerse the idol in the local well itself, watched by few friends and close relatives. Whereas others prefer to keep Lord Ganesha in their homes and carry on the religious ceremonies which then goes on for either 3 or 5 or 7 days, before Lord Ganesha is taken for “Visarjhan” (immersion) most probably to Mahamayi temple at Car Street for his final journey.
All are wished a happy Ganesh Chaturthi, with a prayer to Lord Ganesha to bless all his devotees and bring peace and joy to our planet ‘Earth’.
Ganesh Chaturthi Special on Daijiworld.com