Ganesh Chaturthi will end with Anant Chaturdashi on September 17.
The tradition of Ganpati Visarjan began in Maharashtra and mainly combines religious beliefs and folk traditions.
These days, the entire country is celebrating the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi with great enthusiasm. Idols of Ganpati have been placed in neighbourhoods and homes. The festival concludes with the immersion of the idol of Lord Ganesh, but have you ever wondered how this immersion tradition started and whether small idols can be kept at home permanently? An astrologer has provided detailed information about the religious and cultural significance of this tradition.
The tradition of Ganpati visarjan started in Maharashtra. It mainly combines religious beliefs and folk traditions. Lord Ganesha is worshipped as the 'remover of obstacles' and through visarjan, the message is conveyed that the Lord removes all obstacles and then returns to his divine abode.
Furthermore, it is said that Lokmanya Tilak started publicly celebrating Ganesh Utsav in 1893 to unite the society and create awareness among Indians against British rule. Since then, this tradition has been completed every year with the immersion of the idol after Ganesh Utsav. From a religious perspective, it is also believed that Lord Ganesha comes to earth briefly and then returns to his heavenly abode.
Many people wonder if it is necessary to immerse small idols of Lord Ganesha in water. In this regard, an astrologer explained that from a religious point of view, the installation of idols is done for a specific period and it is essential to immerse them with proper rituals.
If the idol is installed for religious purposes, it must be immersed after the stipulated time. If this is not done, it may be considered a fault according to religious beliefs. However, keeping the idol just for decoration or worship without formal installation or immersion is not considered a religious fault.
The significance of Ganesha idol immersion is that once the worship of Lord Ganesha is completed, he is immersed in water, which symbolises the cycle of life – birth and death. Immersion also conveys the message that everything in this world is temporary and we should understand the message of merging with the Supreme Being.
