According to Wikipedia, the Ganesha festival is
'celebrated on the occasion of birthday of Lord Ganesha, the son of Shiva and Parvati, who is believed to bestow his presence on earth for all his devotees in the duration of this festival. It is the day Shiva declared his son Ganesha as superior to all the gods, barring Vishnu, Lakshmi, Shiva and Parvati. Ganesha is widely worshipped as the god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune and traditionally invoked at the beginning of any new venture or at the start of travel.'
The streets of Bangalore have been lined by Ganesha idols and palm leaves the last week and most communities buy a statue to display in their neighbourhood during the festival.
Ganeshas for sale, in all shapes and sizes
The festival starts with the puja (prayers and offerings) and then the Ganesha is ready to be visited by one and all.
I went out with some friends to have a look at several different Ganeshas in villages just outside our neighbourhood and in our own area. In Adarsh Vista the maintenance people always buy a Ganesha and put in on display at the community centre.
We have seen at least 10 different Ganeshas and they were all decorated and displayed with care and imagination. It is the ultimate Bling-fest.
A selection of different Ganeshas
The Ganesha on the pictures above was the most elaborate one we saw.
This Ganesha was covered in smoke from the fire in front of it.
After the puja, food is handed out to everyone attending or passing by. The food is cooked in huge pots and prepared in make shift kitchens or garages.
Enough food to feed the village
And it is handed out from big buckets
It was a great day. On Saturday we will go to Ulsoor lake to see the Ganeshas being taken into the water.
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