How Women Play A Key Role In Ganesh Chaturthi Celebrations

Jai Ganesha, Jai Ganesha, Jai Ganesha Deva, centres all around India where it is believed that Lord Ganesha bestows his presence on earth for all his devotees during this festival. The Hindu festival is primarily celebrated in homes and in public by local community groups or mandals who install images of Ganesha in their homes and pandals.

According to Hindustan Times, Ganesh Chaturthi was first observed after Chhatrapati Shivaji set up the Maratha empire in the 16th century. In 1892, one of the stalwarts of India’s freedom movement, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, reintroduced the festival as a rallying ground for nationalists. The streets of Mumbai and Pune became venues for the 10-day celebrations and huge gatherings of devotees.

Today, the festival is celebrated all over India, particularly in Maharashtra, with blustering zeal and ecstasy.

Women gather, Women pray & Women inspire

The festival symbolises enthusiasm and unity. To illustrate this, 42,000 women performed the auspicious aarti at Pune's Shreemant Dagduseth Halwai Ganpati temple this year. In a spectacular display of devotion and feminine strength, these women came together in the early hours of Rishi Panchami to recite the Atharvashirsha in honour of Lord Ganesha. This mass event was organized by the Shreemant Dagdusheth Halwai Public Ganpati Trust in partnership with Suvarnayug Tarun Mandal, marking the 132nd year of the festival.

While women of Mumbai never leave anything behind as last year during the eminent occasion, the participation of women was witnessed in Mumbai’s dhol tasha groups and the unusual yet excellent way in which they dissected their unique fusion of Indo-Western attire.

Meanwhile, not only in Maharashtra but the festive fervour has taken over in Bengaluru too as preparations began for Ganesha Chaturthi on September 1. From star-studded cultural performances to unique styles of Ganesha idols, organisers implemented many creative and unprecedented plans for this year’s festival. 

Witness Diversified Women yet United on Ganesh Chaturthi

The Navodaya Geleyara Balaga is an association in Nagawara, Bengaluru which is known for its celebrations in the surrounding localities. Its pandal attracts over 3,000 people every day. This year, the theme for the pandal is Hanuman.

Perhaps the city’s most popular Ganesha festival celebrations happen at the Bengaluru Ganesha Utsava (BGU), organised by the Sri Vidyaranya Yuvaka Sangha in south Bengaluru. The 62nd edition of BGU which will take place over 12 days from September 7 to 18 on the premises of Shankar Mutt in Shankarapuram will be “celebrating women”. 

"There were 13 women members in our association and each day would be dedicated to one of those women. On one day, we would dedicate it to two of them. We had hundreds of women artists performing this time along with a handful of male artists too. While we would have the likes of M.D. Pallavi, Sangeetha Katti, and Archana Udupa curating our Bhakti Sangeetha sessions, we also had performances from Anuradha Paudwal, Kaushiki Chakraborty, and other women artists,” said one of the organisers.

Lord Ganesha Brings Power, Strength and Warmth To Lives

The length of Lord Ganesha's visit varies by location; from one-and-a-half days, five days, seven days, to the last 10th day (Anant Chaturdashi). Once the devotion is finished, the statues are taken on ornate floats and drowned in the sea. Thousands of people gather on the beaches to immerse the sacred idols in the sea.

Dancers and the sounds of frenetic drum beats, devotional music, and exploding firecrackers accompany the procession and immersion. The ceremony concludes with shouts of “Ganpati Bappa Morya!” (Hail Lord Ganesh!) when the idol is immersed, and with requests for the Lord to return the next year, with chanting of “Ganpati bappa morya, pudcha varshi laukar ya."

Women deities have always been worshipped as the utmost divine power of strength and respect, their unconditional perseverance has remained constant for centuries which makes their recognition of being a woman significant at the end of the day. Hindu mythology can never be complete without the reference of ‘Shakti’, as an embodiment of all that is considered to be feminine.

Here is also a story about Ganesha along with the women who played a pivotal role in his life.