Ganesh Chaturthi

What it marks

Ganesh Chaturthi celebrates the birth of Ganesha, the elephant-headed deity widely invoked at the start of new undertakings. He is associated with wisdom and prosperity, and is known as the remover of obstacles — which is why he is often honored before journeys, weddings, examinations and new ventures.

The festival commonly runs for ten days, beginning with the installation of an idol and ending with visarjan, the ceremonial immersion of the idol in water.

Why it is celebrated

At its heart the festival is a welcome. The idol is treated as an honored guest who arrives, stays with the household or the community for the days of the festival, and is then given a send-off.

Daily worship, offerings of sweets — modak in particular is associated with Ganesha — music, and shared meals mark the days in between. In many homes the observance is quiet and domestic; in many neighborhoods it is a large public gathering.

A public festival with a political history

Public celebration of the festival is often traced to the Maratha period, during the time of Shivaji in the seventeenth century.

Its modern public form is usually credited to Lokmanya Tilak, who from 1893 encouraged Ganesh Chaturthi to be observed as a large community event rather than only a household one. Public pandals became venues for poetry, music, plays and folk performance — and, under colonial rule, a way for people to gather and organize across caste lines during the Indian independence movement.

Different names, different emphases

The festival is known by different names in different regions and languages — Vinayaka Chaturthi and Vinayaka Chavithi are widely used, and Vinayagar Chaturthi, Chavithi, Chouthi, Ganeshotsav and Gauri Ganesh all appear.

The emphasis differs too. In some places the festival is best known for enormous public pandals and processions; elsewhere it is primarily a family observance at a home shrine. Both are long-standing, and neither is more correct than the other.