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Ganesh Chaturthi

Ganesha Chaturthi is the day that wecelebrate Lord Ganesha. It is celebratedon the birthday of Lord Ganesha. Thiscelebration normally lasts 10 days.

Ganesha is the god of wisdom and theremover of all obstacles. There are manystories associated with Lord Ganesha. Iwill show some of them in the storiessection of this presentation.

History of Ganesh Chaturthi

Ganesha Chaturthi is one of India’smost celebrated holidays. It usually starts onthe forth day of the waxing moon period(usually between August 20 and September15). The festival usually lasts 10 days. Almostall families in India celebrate this holiday.They decorate statues of Ganesha lavishlyand do poojas dedicated to him. People makesweets to offer to Lord Ganesha. The sweetsnormally consist of ladoos, rice pudding, anddifferent foods depending on where you live.Temples normally make statues to bereleased into a nearby river.

Origins of Ganesh Chaturthi

The first public GaneshChaturthi was first celebrated in 1989in Pune, India. This celebration wasput together by Bal Gangadhar Tilak.

Before that the Ganesh Chaturthi

was a private thing that everybodydid in their own homes.

Stories About Lord Ganesha

The birth of Ganesha Part 1

The story goes that Lord Ganesha wasn’tactually born to Shiva and Parvati but insteadcreated by Parvati using turmaric powder. Parvatiwanted a son that would be loyal to her. So sheshaped the powder into the shape of her wanting,strong and beautiful, and then brought him to life.Parvati was overjoyed to have a son that she couldtruly call her own. Later when Parvati was goingto bathe she gives Ganesha a staff and tells him tonot let anybody in without permission. After awhile Shiva comes and wonders who themysterious boy was, as he tries to enter Parvati’sliving quarters Ganesha stops him. Shiva tries toexplain that he was Parvati’s wife but Ganeshaignores him and hits Shiva with his staff. Shivabecomes furious and tries to battle him, Shivarealizes that he was no ordinary boy so he sendshis followers to try to defeat the boy, but insteadthe exact opposite happens and Ganesha beatsthem all.


Shiva asks the boy who he was and he repliesby saying that “I am the son of Parvati and none caneenter here without my mothers permission”. Shivathen grow furious and sends his entire army to fightthe little boy and yet Ganesha prevails with the helpof Kali and Durga. After that Shiva asks Vishnu tocome and help him. In the battle Shiva goes so madthat he throws his trident as Ganesha and beheadshim. When Shiva realized what he had done hewhishes that he had never done what he did. WhenParvati hears of what happened she decides todestroy the world but Brahma asks for mercy and tonot destroy the world. Parvati agrees but only undertwo conditions, that her son comes back to life andthat he is worshipped before any other god. Shivaapologizes and the sends Brahma to go North andbring him the head of the first animal theyencounter. Brahma soon returns with the head of anelephant.(The head of Gajasura)


Brahma fitted the head of the elephant to theboy and sprinkled water on him. Ganesha awake withthe head of an elephant on his shoulders. Parvati goesand embraces her son. Shiva then confronts Parvati andannounces that from then on the boy shall be namedGanesha, the chief of Shiva’s Ganas, and Vigneshwar,the remover of all obstacles. Shiva also says thatGanesha will be treated like a god and that he shall beworshipped before any god.

How did Lord Ganesha get a broken tusk?Story 1

While Shiva went to go and rest in hisroom, he told Ganesh to keep guard. After awhile Purshuram a pupil and a devotee of LordShiva came and asked entrance so he may speakwith Lord Shiva. Lord Ganesh obeying hisfather did not let Purshuram in. They started tofight using words as their weapons, but finallyPurshuram had enough and he throws his ax atGanesh. Ganesh knowing that the ax was a giftthat Purshuram had gotten from his fatherdidn’t do anything. The ax hit Ganesha on oneof his tusks and broke it off. In the commotionShiva and Parvati come out and see whatPurshuram did. Purshuram asks for mercy andforgiveness. After Ganesha is revived by hisfather he forgives Purshuram.

How did Lord Ganesha get a broken tusk?Story 2

When Sage Ved Vyasa comes upwith the idea of Mahabharat he looksaround to find someone who wouldwrite the story down as he recitedthem. He decides to ask Ganesha to doit for him. Ganesha agrees to do it. Towrite the script Ganesha breaks off atip of his tusk.

Ganesha and the Moon

Lord Ganesha loved to eat sweets,especially pudding and ladoos. On one of hisbirthdays he goes around getting as many sweetsas he could. After he ate to his full Ganesha set offto his house on his loyal companion, his mouse.On the way home the mouse sees a snake and getsfrightened. Because of this Lord Ganesha slips offof the mouse and falls. Because of the fall LordGanesha’s stomach bursts open allowing all of thepudding and ladoos to fall out. Lord Ganesha putsall the sweets back into his belly and ties thesnake that had scared the mouse around his belly.The moon who had seen all of this happenlaughed. Lord Ganesha got mad at the moon andhurled one of his tusks at the moon. He then put acurse on the moon, saying that whoever looked atthe moon on Chaturthi day, Ganesha’s birthday,and whoever did look at the moon would get badluck.

Ganesha goes around the world

One day Kumaraswami, Ganesha’sbrother, comes to Shiva and gives him a fruitand tells him to give it to his favorite son.Shiva decides to give them a test to decidewho was his favorite son. He tells them bothto go around the world as fast as they can.Kumaraswami instantly hops onto his steed,a peacock, and sets off. When he comes backhe finds that Ganesh had already finished thetask. Kumaraswami knew that Ganesha wasslow and asked him how he had finishedbefore him. Ganesha replied by saying “Mymother and father are my world, they are myuniverse, I just went around them”.

Gajasura

Gajasura was an elephant demon.Gajasura was also a great devotee of Shiva. So oneday he started to pray to Lord Shiva to get a boon.After some years Shiva appeared to grant a boon.Gajasura asks that Shiva reside inside hisstomach, and Shiva accepted. Later Parvatistarted to get worried because she did not seeShiva anywhere. Parvati went and asked LordVishnu to go and search for Shiva. Vishnudisguised himself as a street player and tookNandi, Shiva’s steed, to go and search. After along time they finally found Gajasura and askedhim to release Shiva. Gajasura accepted but onlyif Vishnu gave him one more boon. He askedVishnu to make him immortal, and Vishnuagreed. Later when Ganesha lost his head Shivasent them to get the head of the first animal theyencounter knowing that it would be Gajasura theelephant. When Gajasura’s head was attached toGanesha became immortal granting the boon hehad asked for.

Ganesha and his mouse

• Story 1

Gajamukha, a demon, did prayer to Lord Shivaand got a boon that would make him invincible.Gajamukha started to terrorize the heavens. The godsnot knowing what to do sent for Ganesha. Ganeshastarts to do battle with the demon by growing big. Aftera while Ganesha realizes that Gajamukha couldn’t bedefeated so he turns him into a big mouse and makeshim his steed.

• Story 2

Once in the court of Indira, the king of Devas,Krauncha insulted the sage Vaamedeva and for that hewas cursed and turned into a mouse by the sage. ThenKrauncha went and wrecked havoc in the dwelling ofthe sage Paraashara. Paraashara asked Ganesha to comeand save his house. Ganesha came and brought themouse under his control and made him his steed.

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