THE CELEBRATIONS IN MAHARASHTRA

This is the special function day or the grandest festival of Maharashtra.

Almost each locality of every town and village has its own idol of Lord Ganesh specially made for the occasion. Although there are thousands of centres that make such idols, those built by the craftsmen of a small town Pen are rated higher. A Ganapati is brought and installed on a colourful painted plank. The grown-ups carry the plank themselves; the children strike the cymbals and, beat the gongs yelling lustily: "Ganapati bappa morya..." The Ganapati is brought home amidst great fanfare. Since the favorite idols are generally made of clay, special care is taken to carry the idol intact. No one will take the risk of being jostled by the crowd and dropping the idol, for a damaged Ganapati is considered very inauspicious.

Ganapati idols are, installed in homes on this day and worshipped. Though they vary in size they are similar in appearance. All of them have the deity seated. In front of God Ganapati is put a big 'thaal' (plate) containing modaks made of rice-flour and f1lled with jaggery, grated coconut, cardamom seeds and dried fruit. How long the Ganapati idol is kept at home depends on family tradition. It may be thirty six hours in some homes, in others it varies from five, seven to nine days, till Anant Chaturdashi.

When the idol is brought home it is installed in a specially decorated place. Children decorate their Ganapatis with colorful papers and string of colored lights. During the time Ganapati is kept at home, prayers are offered every morning and evening and Arti performed everyday. In some homes priests are asked to conduct the worship; in others members of the family do it themselves. It is customary to make offerings for twenty-one blades of grass, kewra (pandanus buds), a lotus flower and twenty-one modaks as 'prasadam.'

Besides the Ganapatis installed in homes, most localities also have their own community Ganapatis. These images are usually very large, sometimes almost twenty feet high. Since he has different manifestations in the Puranas, the Mahabharat and the Ramayana. he is represented in his multifarious activities. He may be depicted as Krishna, standing on the head of the snake 'Kaalia' or slaying the demon 'Keshi'. There is a belief that the kind and benevolent aspect of Ganapati is represented in every deity of the Hindu Pantheon. Though hundreds of images of Ganapati are made every year in the traditional form, new forms are invented to depict the current theme. One may not be surprised if one finds Ganapati landing on the moon or working on a computer!

It was Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak who made the ritual worship of Ganesh in Maharashtra almost a national festival. The festival is fondly called the 'Ganesh-Utsav. Tilak revived this festival to instill new faith in the people. He believed that when people got together to celebrate the festival, they would forget their internal differences and be united by goodwill.

Tilak also encouraged art and culture; he patronised cultural programmes in which well-known singers and promising musicians were invited. Poetry recitations by renowned poets .were organised and new and old plays staged. There were community hymn singing with 'bhajans' (devotional songs) and 'Kirtan' (group chanting or singing) followed by religious discourses. Though Tilak rejuvenated the festival celebration, the Ganesh Chaturthi has been performed since times immemorial in Maharashtra.

'Gauri (parvati) pooja' is also performed in many homes during these days of festivity and during the ten-day Ganesh festival. Domestic servants go dancing from house to house. This ritual starts on Janmashtami and continues till Anant Chaturdashi. After " Govinda aala re�� " they start rehearsing for " Ganapati bappa morya..... "

Ganesh Utsav is celebrated in villages as well as large cities. There also the Ganapati idol is installed preferably in some school or the house of headman of the village with great enthusiasm.

At long last comes Anant Chaturdashi. Elaborate preparations are made for the immersion ceremony. Some people accompanied by their relatives and friends, prefer to perform the immersion of Ganapati themselves. Others place their idols near the big images installed in public places. These are then mounted on decorated bullock carts and trucks. Children are allowed to clamber up behind them. The procession goes down the street striking cymbals and gongs and rending the air with " Ganapati bappa ... ". At the appointed place the truck and bullock-carts meet to form a larger procession. Every village and town has its own tradition regarding which of its many Ganapatis is to be given the honor of leading the procession. Usually pride of place is given to the idol from the oldest temple. It is carried in a palanquin. Choral groups. and drummers accompany the procession. They chant hymns while people watching from the roadside, shower coloured powder on them. And so with much fervor and enthusiasm the idols are immersed in the river, tank or sea usually at dusk-time. Then they raise a cry:

�Ganapati bappa morya!
Purhchya varshi laukar ya !" .

[0 Father Ganapati, return again early the following year ]