The Elephant Headed God

This is the time of the year when people from all over Maharashtra celebrate "Ganesh Utsav".It is the festival of the Elephant God, the son of Durga - The source of all Power or Shakti and Shiva - The Destroyer. Every other street corner has a Ganesh pandal. Worshipping Ganesh is believed to ensure the success of everything that is done that day.

This festival was started by Lokmanya Tilak, a freedom fighter, during the freedom stuggle against the English to unite all Maharashtrians.It was through these types of Public Festivals that the leaders spread their thoughts and revolutionary ideas among the young and old alike.

The Ganesh Festival is celebrated in India in the month September. A large number flock to these pandals at all times of the day as well as night. Its open through out the night so people can visit at their convinience. The Ganesh idol is kept for around 10 days maximum. After that, it is emmersed in a lake or the sea. This is done as a gesture to God that what we are taking from him we are returning back as the idols are supposed to be made of mud. The best part of the festival is the emmersion where we can dance as much as we want and have a gala time.