Ganesh Chaturthi also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi is one of the important Hindu festivals celebrated in India with great devotion and passion. Ganesh Chaturthi is a festival that celebrates the birthday of Lord Ganesha, the Hindu god of wisdom and success. This festival is celebrated by Hindus with great enthusiasm throughout the ten days. The devotees bring idols of Lord Ganesha to their homes and worship the idol. The duration of this festival varies from 1 day to 11 days depending on the place, tradition and people’s willingness to keep the idol. The celebration begins months in advance as artists craft countless idols of Lord Ganesha in different poses, colours, and sizes.  Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated widely in Maharashtra, Karnataka and parts of Andhra Pradesh. Outside India, it’s widely celebrated in Nepal, and by Hindus in UK, US and Mauritius, etc.

Some facts about Ganesh Chaturthi –

1) Ganesha Chaturthi is also the day when Lord Shiva declared Ganesha to be above all Hindu Gods, excluding Vishnu Lakshmi, Shiva, and Parvati.

2) It is considered unlucky to look at the Moon during Ganesha Chaturthi.

3) Maharashtra is the state known for grand-scale Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations

4) According to statistics, the number of Ganesh idols brought home in the year 2014 was 1,80,650 and the number is significantly increasing each year.

5) Lord Ganesha is also worshiped in many foreign countries including Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Nepal, and China.

6) The longest immersion procession of idol is that of Mumbai’s Lalbaugcha Raja, which starts at around 10 am and ends the next morning, taking nearly 24 hours to get it immersed in the sea.