Ganesh Chaturthi 2019: Date, time, Shubh Muhurat, facts and importance of the festival
Ganesh Chaturthi 2019: Lord Ganesha is supposed to be a symbol of wisdom, luck and good fortune. Lord Ganesha is also addressed as Gajanana, Ganesh, Gajadant among others.
Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated every year to mark the birth of Lord Ganesha, the God of beginnings. The festival takes place in the month of Bhadra, according to the Hindu calendar. This year, it shall begin on September 2. Lord Ganesha is supposed to be a symbol of wisdom, luck and good fortune. Lord Ganesha is also addressed as Gajanana, Ganesh, Gajadant among others.
History
Legend has it that Goddess Parvati made Ganesha out of sandalwood paste and put him on guard while she was taking a bath. When Lord Shiva came back, Ganesha would not allow him to pass through. Full of anger, Lord Shiva severed the child’s head. When Goddess Parvati came to know about this, she was heartbroken, after which Shiva promised that he would bring Ganesha back to life. He instructed his followers to search for a child’s head. However, they could only find a baby elephant’s head. And that is how Lord Ganesha came into being after he was re-born with the head of an elephant.
Traditions
There is a lot of excitement weeks before Ganesh Chaturthi, with people making clay idols of Ganesha and painting them. The festival kicks off with Pranapratishhtha, which comprises chanting of mantras by a priest. This is followed by a 16-step ritual called Shodashopachara Puja. During this puja, offerings which were loved by Ganesha are placed infront of his idol. Some of these are modak, shrikhand, payasam, coconut rice and motichoor laddoo.
Devotees throng to the temples to pay their respects to Lord Ganesha, where pujas take places and bhajans are sung. Localities put up pandals in which huge statues of Lord Ganesha are put up.
The festival comes to an end with a ritual called Uttarpuja. After the ritual, Lord Ganesha’s statue is immersed in water, which is known as Ganpati Visarjan. Devotees chant slogans such as Ganapati Bappa Morya, paying respect to him. While taking the idols to be immersed in the sea, there is a lot of singing, dance and merriment that takes place.
Ganesh Chaturthi date, time and Shubh Muhurat
Ganesh Chaturthi date: September 2, 2019
Ganesha Visarjan Date: September 12, 2019
Madhyahna Ganesha Puja: 11:05 am to 01:36 pm
Time span: 2 hours 31 minutes
Ganesha Visarjan: September 12, 2019
Time to avoid moon sighting: 8:55 am to 9:05 pm
Time span: 12 hours 10 minutes
Chaturthi Tithi starting: 4:57 am on September 2, 2019
Chaturthi Tithi ending: 1:54 am on September 3, 2019
