Ganesh
Festival celebration in Pune is an amazing thing, which has a great
historic importance that makes it one of the best things held in the
Pune city. It is this ten-day long festival, which is celebrated at
both public places and at homes, by the ardent devotees of the deity.
Another interesting thing about the Ganesh festival in Pune is that,
the publicly held festival originated in the city itself. It was
started by the then socially active political leader, Lokmanya
Bal Gangadhar Tilak,
whose main objective behind this was to bring social awareness among
the public, against the British movements and to protest them, during
the pre-independence era.
Till date, Ganesh festival is held grandly
in Pune city, and various parts of the Indian state Maharashtra, such
as Mumbai,
Thane, Nagpur, Ahmednagar, Aurangabad, Latur, Kolhapur,Satara, Nasik,
Khopoli,
and various places in the Konkan
region, as Lord Ganesha is Maharashtra’s beloved deity. Moreover,
the ‘God
of wisdom’,
called ‘Vighnaharta’
in
Marathi vernacular (that is, remover
of Obstacles)
is worshipped by an unbelievable number of people, all round the
world.
Every year, millions of travelers travel to Pune, to participate in the Ganesh festival, which is held with a great fervour in the city. Lots of events are held on a large scale, wherein, various social and political issues are put to display by means of idols and statues, which are erected in the public pandals, at various Ganesh Mandals, across the city, during the festival period. Besides this, one-act plays, shows, orchestra, poem reciting, etc., are also held, at various publicly managed Ganesh Mandals. The main aim behind these ventures is to educate and entertain the masses, with respect to the current happenings of both state and central level. To run all the events in harmony, the civil authorities of Pune city, various NGO’s, public bodies, and the Police forces work hand-in-hand, to mark the Ganesh festival, as a successful and a cordial event.
Major
Attractions of Ganesh Festival in Pune
- Five God of Honour – The five God of honour are the major attraction during the ten-day Ganesh festival in Pune, that include: the Kasbapeth Ganpati – First God of Honour, Tambadi Jogeshwari Ganpati – Second God of Honour, Guruji Taalim Ganpati – Third God of Honour, Tulshibaug Ganpati – Fourth God of Honour and Kesari Wada Ganpati – Fifth God of Honour. All these Lord Ganeshas are the major highlight of the ten-day long festival, wherein, the devotees of the beloved God visit the Pandal premises, to seek blessings from the divine God of wisdom.
- Shreemanth Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati – Another highlight of the Ganesh festival in Pune is the ‘Shreemanth Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati temple’, which is beautifully decorated, during the festive period. Large number of devotees from all round the Pune city, such as localities from places like Pimpri-Chinchwad and various areas in Pune such as: Kothrud, Karvenagar, Aundh, Baner, Deccan, Sadashiv Peth, MG road, Camp, Koregaon Park, Hadapsar, Wanowrie, Magarpatta, etc. too visit the temple, during the ten-day long Ganesh festival. The Dagdusheth Ganpati temple is ornamented by seasonal flowers such as: Gerbera and Orchids and different varieties of colourful roses that give a blissful and pleasant ambiance to the temple premises. Besides this, the eye-striking lighting, which is done over the temple peak, fetches the attention of enthusiast photographers. Devotees perform prayers and pooja and offer things like: ‘coconut tied threads’, ‘red Hibiscus flowers’ and ‘durva’. Besides, sweets are offered to the deity that includes bappa’s favourite sweet – ‘ukadiche modak’, which is then distributed among the devotees as ‘prasaad’. Woman devotees chant ‘atharvashirsh’ in groups, wherein, they sit in the surrounding premises of the temple, around the Dagdusheth Ganpati temple in Pune, in the wee hours, during the ten-day festival.
