Episode 1947
Ganesh Chaturthi
Thu, 2022-Sep-01 01:37 UTC
Length - 3:15
Direct Link
Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day where we read the summary of a popular Wikipedia page every day.
With 217,380 views on Wednesday, 31 August 2022 our article of the day is Ganesh Chaturthi.
Ganesh Chaturthi (ISO: Gaṇeśa Caturthī), also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi (Vināyaka Caturthī), or Vinayaka Chaviti (Vināyaka Cavitī) is a Hindu festival commemorating the birth of the Hindu god Ganesha (Ganesh). The festival is marked with the installation of Ganesha's clay murtis privately in homes and publicly on elaborate pandals (temporary stages). Observances include chanting of Vedic hymns and Hindu texts, such as prayers and vrata (fasting). Offerings and prasada from the daily prayers, that are distributed from the pandal to the community, include sweets such as modaka as it is believed to be a favourite of Ganesha. The festival ends on the tenth day after start, when the idol is carried in a public procession with music and group chanting, then immersed in a nearby body of water such as a river or sea, called visarjan. In Mumbai alone, around 150,000 statues are immersed annually. Thereafter the clay idol dissolves and Ganesha is believed to return to his celestial abode. The festival celebrates Ganesha as the God of New Beginnings and the Remover of Obstacles as well as the god of wisdom and intelligence and is observed throughout India, especially in the states such as Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Goa. Ganesh Chaturthi is also observed in Nepal and by the Hindu diaspora elsewhere such as in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, other parts of the Caribbean, Fiji, Mauritius, South Africa, the United States, and Europe. In the Gregorian calendar, Ganesh Chaturthi falls between 22 August and 20 September every year. The public celebration was initiated by Bal Gangadhar Tilak (Lokmanya Tilak) in Pune in the year 1893. At public venues, along with the reading of texts and group feasting, athletic and martial arts competitions are also held.
This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:37 UTC on Thursday, 1 September 2022.
For the full current version of the article, see Ganesh Chaturthi on Wikipedia.
This podcast is produced by Abulsme Productions based on Wikipedia content and is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.
Visit wikioftheday.com for our archives, sister podcasts, and swag. Please subscribe to never miss an episode. You can also follow @WotDpod on Twitter.
Abulsme Productions produces the current events podcast Curmudgeon's Corner as well. Check it out in your podcast player of choice.
This has been Joey Neural. Thank you for listening to popular Wiki of the Day.
|
|
Buy WotD Stuff!!
