Ganesh Chaturthi

Festival falling on the fourth (chaturthi)
day of the bright or waxing half of
the lunar month of Bhadrapada
(August–September), dedicated to the
worship of the god Ganesh. This festival
is observed throughout India, but is particularly celebrated in Maharashtra.
During this festival clay images of
Ganesh are consecrated and worshiped.
At the festival’s end the images are carried in procession for ceremonial
immersion in bodies of water—whether
the sea, a river, or the village pond.
Although Ganesh is a relatively
minor deity in the Hindu pantheon,
his role as the Lord of Obstacles
(Vighneshvar) makes him important in
everyday life, since his involvement can
either further or hinder one’s efforts. For
this reason, Ganesh is always worshiped
at the start of any endeavor and at the
beginning of all religious ceremonies.
While Ganesh plays an important role in
people’s everyday lives, the festival
Ganesh Chaturthi gained prominence in
Maharashtra for political reasons. Bal
Gangadhar Tilak, one of the most
important figures in the nineteenthcentury Hindu renaissance, promoted
the celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi as a
visible way to assert and celebrate a
Hindu nationalist identity during the
time of British imperial rule. Given the
power of British rule, outright rebellion
was simply impossible, and the British
government heavily restricted all forms
of political dissent. The Ganesh festival
provided a way to circumvent these
restrictions, since the British had a longstanding policy of not interfering with
religious observances. The celebration
237
Ganesh Chaturthi
of this festival in Maharashtra, particularly the processions to immerse the
images in the sea, became an important
theater to demonstrate and affirm
Hindu cultural and political identity.