Vinayaka Chaturthi provided me with the perfect opportunity to was roam the streets of Chennai. It gave me the wonderful opportunity to see Ganesha idols in different pandals and captured them in my camera. It was wonderful to see few innovative ideas in making Lord Ganesha idols this year.
Vinayaka Chaturthi or Ganesh Chaturthi is one of the popular festivals celebrated in western and south India during the month of August – September. Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed Hindu God is considered as remover of obstacles and the God of beginnings and wisdom. The festival involves installing clay images of Ganesha in public pandals, set up for 10 days. At the end of these 10 days these idols are immersed at the end of the festival in a water body (lake, river). The water in the lake is symbolically purified after adding herbal and medicated plants and leaves (patri) in lakes. This practice emerged because in the early days people used to drink lake water, and this was done to protect people from infections and viral diseases. Some Hindus also install the clay images of Ganesha in their homes. It is believed that Ganesha bestows his presence on earth for all his devotees during this festival.