Ganesh Chaturthi
Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated all over India with great fanfare during the Bhadra Shukla Paksha for four days according to the Hindu calendar. It was indeed celebrated at Sandipani with great enthusiasm by the Rishikumars from the 9th – 12thSeptember.
Pujya Bhaishri firmly believes that the idols for this festival must be eco-friendly and of manageable size. Generally, plaster of Paris is used to make the idols and chemicals are used to colour and give them an alluring look. This pollutes and harms the species living in the waters in which the idols are immersed during the festival. Therefore, according to Pujya Bhaishri’s requests, the idol at Sandipani was made from soil and was of the size of one to five feet.
On the 9th September, Ganeshji was seated in a hut decorated with elegant clothes. At 10am he was worshipped followed by offering him with 108 modaks and sacred grass along with chanting his name. Then, the Rushikumars recited the Ganesh athavashirsha, performed the Aarati and took prasad amidst loud chants of ‘Ganapati Bapa Morya’.
Shri Ganeshji was worshipped this way every day for the four days by several devotees and sponsors.
The event was concluded on the last day at 4pm when Shri Ganeshji was immersed in the waters at Sandipani with the recitation of his stotras and his faithful worship.
