Ganesh Chaturthi is a Hindu festival commemorating the birth of Lord Ganesha.
Festival devoted to the worship of the deity Ganesh on the
fourth (chaturthi) day of the bright or waxing half of the lunar month of
Bhadrapada (August–September).
This holiday is celebrated all around India, but it is
especially popular in Maharashtra.
Clay Ganesh idols are sanctified and adored throughout this
event.
The figures are carried in procession to be ceremonially
immersed in bodies of water at the festival's conclusion, whether the sea, a
river, or the town pond.
Although Ganesh is a minor god in the Hindu pantheon, his
function as Lord of Obstacles (Vighneshvar) makes him significant in daily
life, since his presence may either help or impede one's endeavors.
As a result, Ganesh is always worshipped at the commencement
of every attempt, as well as at the opening of all religious rites.
While Ganesh is revered in people's daily lives,
Maharashtra's Ganesh Chaturthi celebration rose to popularity for political
reasons.
During the British imperial reign, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, one
of the most influential actors in the nineteenth-century Hindu renaissance,
pushed Ganesh Chaturthi as a visible manner to proclaim and celebrate a Hindu
nationalist identity.
Outright revolt was unthinkable given the British
government's strength, and all kinds of political opposition were severely
controlled by the British government.
Because the British had a longstanding policy of not
meddling with religious observances, the Ganesh celebration offered a method to
get around these prohibitions.
In Maharashtra, the celebration of this event, particularly
the processions to immerse the pictures in the sea, became a major stage for
demonstrating and affirming Hindu cultural and political identity.
You may also want to read more about Hinduism here.
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