Ganesh Chaturthi - Sep 10 2002 (Tuesday)

Ganesh Chaturthi Pooja

Procedure:

Before starting the Pooja take a cleansing bath and wear clean clothes. Clean the place of worship, Ganesh idol or picture and all other pooja articles. Place a betel leaf or a clean plate before the god. Make a Ganesh vigraha with turmeric and water to from a thick dough and shape it with your hands. Place kumkum on it and decorate it with flowers. Decorate the idol also with flowers and grass (Arugam pul if available). Prepare the Prasad for Ganesh. Click here for Ganesh Chaturthi Recipes. Place the Prasad before the Lord on a banana leaf or clean plate. Plate fresh fruits and  coconut.

Light the lamp and start the pooja. Offer flowers, fruits and Prasad to the Lord while chanting Ganesh Chaturthi slokas. Click here for the Slokas. End the pooja by offering prasad to everyone.

The turmeric vigraha should later be immersed in water after completion of pooja on the final day.

The pooja should be started when Chaturthi sets in. It is also believed that moon should not be looked that day as that will bring bad luck for the whole year.

• 108 Names of Lord Ganesh

• Ganesh Chaturthi Recipes

• Ganesh Chaturthi Slokas

• Ganesh Chaturthi Greetings

Ganesh Chaturthi -  Birthday of Lord Ganesh is one of the most popular Hindu Festival. It is celebrated on the 4th day (chaturthi) of  the bright fortnight month of Bhadrapada (August-September) in Hindu Calendar. The celebration continues till Anantha Chaturdasi which is for 10 full days.

There are interesting stories associated with Ganesh Chaturthi and its significance. One of the most popular legend found in Skanda Purana says, once Ganesha was invited for a feast in Chandralok. The joyous Ganesh feasts himself to his heart's content. But he grows very restless and feels that his stomach would burst out. In order to prevent the stomach from bursting out, he ties a snake around it. But he was not able to balance himself after the huge meal and stumbles and falls. The moon watches the scene from the sky and laughs at Ganesh.

Angered, Lord Ganesh curses the moon to vanish from the universe. However because of the moon's absence, the whole world began to wane. So the gods asked Shiva to persuade Ganesha to relent. The moon also apologized for his misbehavior. On Shiva's intervention, Ganesha modified his curse. He announced that the moon would be invisible on only one day of a month, and would be partially seen for the Ganesha Utsav most part.

On the occasion of the Ganapati festival a large number of images are made of all possible sizes, and people buy them to keep in their houses as a divine guest for one and a half, five, seven, or ten days. On the day of the Chaturthi, shrines are erected, firecrackers let off, huge images of Ganeshji are carried in grand procession for 'Ganesh Visarjan' accompanied by the sound of devotional songs and drums.  The idol should not be kept after this day, as it is considered inauspicious.