The iconic festival of Ganesh Chaturthi, also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi or Ganesh Utsav, has started in full swing nationwide. This year’s celebration will take place over 10 days from September 6 to September 17.Â
As devotees celebrate the auspicious occasion with boundless joy in several cities, including Mumbai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Surat, and Delhi, here’s a glimpse of Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations across India:
Lord Ganesha is worshipped as the “Lord of Beginnings” and the “Remover of Obstacles”.
In honor of the celebration, people decorate their houses with Lord Ganesha idols, hold fasts, cook delicious food, and visit pandals.
In Mumbai, around 15,000 police personnel are deployed on the streets for the next ten days to provide security during the festival.
Lakhs of devotees visit some of the popular pandals such as ‘Lalbaugcha Raja’ during the auspicious occasion.
Devotees also prepare extravagant sweets to offer to Lord Ganesha during the 10-day festival. Â
The festival will end when the Lord Ganesha idol is carried in a public procession and immersed (visarjan) in the sea on the day of Anant Chaturdashi on 17th September this year.