Ganesh Chaturthi is a ten-day-long Hindu festival celebrated to honour the elephant-headed deity, Ganesha’s birthday. Being the younger son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, Ganesha is believed to be the lord of wisdom and intelligence in Hindu mythology. He is also considered the God of beginnings and the remover of obstacles by devotees. Apart from his birth, Ganesh Chaturthi also marks the day when Lord Shiva declared Ganesha to be above all Hindu Gods. This year the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations will begin from 2 September.
According to Hindu mythology, Goddess Parvati created Lord Ganesha from the dirt on her body, and told him to guard the door while she was having a bath. It was at this point that Lord Shiva returned to their residence, and when Ganesha stopped him from entering, an angry Lord Shiva cut off his head in the combat between the two.
To calm a furious Parvati, he promised that he would bring Ganesha back to life. To restore Ganesha’s life, he found a dead elephant’s head and fixed it on him.
Another legend around Ganesha’s birth suggests that he was created by Shiva and Parvati on request of the Devas, to be a ‘vighnakartaa’ (obstacle-creator) in the path of ‘rakshasas’ (demons), and a ‘vighnahartaa’ (obstacle-averter) for devas and devotees.
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