Vinayaka chaturthi & nimajjanam

Ganesh Chaturthi:-

Ganesha Chaturthi is the Hindu festival celebrated on the birthday (rebirth) of the god Ganesha, the son of Shiva and Parvati.
It is believed that Lord Ganesh bestows his presence on earth for all his devotees during this festival. It is the day when Ganesha was born. 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 festival, also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi ("festival of Ganesha") is observed in the Hindu calendar month of Bhaadrapada, starting on the shukla chaturthi (fourth day of the waxing moon period).  The festival lasts for 10 days, ending on Anant Chaturdashi (fourteenth day of the waxing moon period).

Puja of vinayaka chaturthi:- The Puja at home is done by invoking Lord Ganesha, doing Praana Prathishta and worshipping with a variety of flowers, leaves, fruits and by offering Naivedhyam of Lord Ganesha’s favorite food like Kudumulu and Paasham. The clay Idol is then immersed in a River or Lake along with all the Puja items like flowers, leaves, fruits, turmeric etc. 





This practice of immersion since ancient times had great environmental benefits. Bringing clay in large quantities from banks of Rivers and Lakes and putting it back in the form of idols away from the banks along with all the Puja material like turmeric and the various leaves (herbs) and fruits was good for purifying the water and served as food for fishes and other water creatures.

Celebration of vinayaka chaturthi  in different areas:- While celebrated all over India, it is most elaborate in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Outside India, it is celebrated widely in Nepal and by Hindus in the United States, Canada, Mauritius,Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma, Fiji, Trinidad & Tobago, and Guyana.

Celebrations in Maharashtra:-
Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated in almost each and every household of Maharashtra, with great faith and belief, for around ten days. The celebrations take place at both individual and community level. Huge pandals are set up and the idol of Ganesha is worshipped by the entire community together, with pomp and show. The celebrations begin with the installation of a Lord Ganesha idol in home, which is worshipped daily by the family members as well as their friends, relatives and even neighbors, who come to have darshan of the Lord. Various cultural events are also organized during these ten days. The celebration ends on the tenth day, when all the people go to the river or sea, to immerse the idol.

Celebrations in Karnataka:-
In Karnataka, Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated with prayers offered to Gauri, the mother of

Lord Ganesh. The married women pray to Goddess Gauri, to get blessings ofeir long lasting married life. It is celebrated in different temples of Lord Ganesh, where prayers are offered to the Lord and Gauri. In Karnataka, Ganesh Chaturthi is also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi and is counted amongst the popularly celebrated festivals.

Celebrations in Gujarat:-
In Ahmedabad, the capital city of Gujarat, Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated with great pomp and show. Offerings are made to Lord Ganesh at numerous temples. Elaborate arrangements are made for lighting and decoration and Ganeshji is fervently worshipped for about 7-10 days. On the day of the Chaturthi, i.e. the last of the ten days dedicated to God, idols are immersed at river Sabarmati and Kankaria Lake. Firecrackers are let off and huge images of Ganeshji are carried in grand procession for 'Ganesh Visarjan' (immersion), accompanied by the sound of devotional songs and drums. 

Celebrations in Rajasthan:-
In Rajasthan, on Ganesh Chaturthi, an image of Ganesh is bathed in red kumkum and a garland of red flowers is put on the idol, placed by many households right outside their entrance. A small thaal, with haldi and kumkum, is also placed at the entrance, so that the visiting people take a pinch of each and put it on their foreheads and throat. Ladoos are usually kept in the house, to be first offered to Ganeshji and then distributed as prasad to the devotees.

The word “visarjan” is derived from the Sanskrit language and has numerous connotations.  However, in the context of worship or ‘puja’ it refers to the formal concluding rite, in which the presiding deity is requested to depart from the physical embodiment, specifically utilised for the puja (usually a murti) in which it was initially invoked.  This ‘temporary receptacle’ is then discarded, most often by submersion into running water, such as a river or the sea.  The act is not necessary for inaugurated (pratishthit) more permanent murtis (deities) as found in places of worship, unless the murti becomes damaged (khandita) thus rendering it unfit for puja.

In order to comprehend the practice of visarjan, we must first understand the concept of worship in the Hindu faith.  The worship of the Almighty in Sanatan Dharma may be through the ‘Saakaar’ (with form) or ‘Niraakaar’ (formless).  The niraakaar method requires no physical depiction, or object and meditation (dhyaan) is a form of this kind of praying.  The Saakaar method requires a ‘physical medium’ through which the Almighty is venerated and ‘Puja’ or ‘Archana’ are forms of this act of worship.

This ‘physical medium’, murti, symbol or aakaar, can be made of any of the five elements (earth, water, air, fire and ether) or a combination of them.  It could be a simple sign inscribed with vermillion, turmeric or flour on a platter (thaali) or on a raised surface, representing the celestial bodies, as seen during a Puja ceremony. A supaari (betel nut) wrapped with sacred thread can also be used.  It could be a ‘kalash’ usually comprising of an earthenware pot containing water, leaves and topped with a coconut.  The image could be drawn on paper, a wall, or even shaped from a mound of earth (pindi).

On the eleventh day the statue of Lord Ganesha is immersed into water body, preferably in a river, lake or the sea. After the final offering of coconuts, flowers and sweets, the statues of Lord Ganesha are taken to the water body through the street procession with much fanfare. Thousands of devotees join the procession and fill the whole atmosphere with chanting of Lord Ganesha. "Ganapati Bappa Morya" and "Ganesh Maharaj Ki, Jai" are few of the famous slogans which are chanted throughout the procession. 

In Mumbai, Ganesha Visarjan is performed under the guidance of Ganpati Mandals. The street procession is accompanied with Dhol, Tasha and the other traditional instruments. Ganesha Visarjan continues throughout the night till the next morning. 

Few families perform Ganesha Visarjan on the 3rd, 5th or 7th day rather performing it on the 11th day as per their family tradition. The idol of Lord Ganesha can be immersed in the water of tub or bucket.


Please make sure that you do not immerse any plastic waste along with the clay Ganesha idol and be proudly part of the eco-friendly Ganesh festival. Use clay idol and immerse only the soluble parts. You can also symbolically sprinkle water on the Ganesh idol. You can also immerse Ganesha in a bucket of water at home and then use it to water plants. If you are using idol of metal, then it can be reused next year.