The priest then performs a ritual by which the idol is imbued with life. Next
follows the traditional puja. This completes the rituals of the first day. For
the remaining days, the image is worshipped, morning and evening with simple recitations
of the Ganesha Stuti, devotional songs, offerings of flowers and incense, and
lamps.
After ten days of ritual worship, the god returns to his heavenly abode and his
image is immersed in water. The farewell procession is a pandemonium of musicians,
dancers, acrobats, singers, priests, onlookers and numerous Ganesha idols from
a number of houses and temples. All join in the procession to the final destination
at the ghats of a river or the ocean in Mumbai and other coastal areas. Shouts
of 'Ganapathi bappa Moraya, Purchya varshi laukariya' or 'beloved Ganesha, Lord
of Moraya, come again early next year' resound all around. The immersion ritual
is simple. Final gifts of coconuts, flowers and burning camphor cubes are offered
to the idol, accompanied by the singing of aratis. Then a few people carry it
far enough into the river to immerse it, where it quickly dissolves. The Ganesha
Utsav immersion marks the end of the ten day festival.
The festival is not just restricted to homes. In fact, most areas in Maharashtra
organize their own programmes. The local communities install huge, elaborately
decorated statues of the idol in glamorous tents. In some places, the idol is
adorned with precious gems and gold, which requires strict police vigil. Other
than the ritual worship of the idol, the ten days also feature many cultural activities,
including the singing of devotional songs, dramatic performances, dances, films,
lectures and speeches by various public figures. Lezam and acrobatics are two
of the most popular performances during these ten days. |
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