Ganesh Chaturthi #MySundayPhoto

Our time in India included the celebration of the elephant headed god Ganesh, known as Ganesh Chaturthi. There are many 'Pujas' in India celebrating the different deities throughout the year and I didn't realise the end of our trip coincided with the celebration of Ganesh, the God of Knowledge. At this time of year, the temples are filled with statues of Ganesh, the one in the photo being near the home of my family in Howrah, Kolkata in West Bengal, India.  The statue shown in my photo above is small compared to the huge ones I saw in some of the temples in central Kolkata. Lasting over four days people celebrate in their houses with their own small Ganesh statues and also visit local temples, giving offerings such as flowers and food. 

I won't pretend I know exactly what symbolic gestures take place over these few days but it differs between temples and regions. In Kolkata, for example, the Ganesh Puja is not as popular as in other parts of India. In Kolkata, the biggest festival in the Hindu calendar is Durga Puja, the celebration of good over evil. I remember watching the procession when I was little on one of our trips to India. A massive statue of Durga is carried through the streets followed by a huge procession of people singing, dancing and celebrating. Everyone joins in and it's an amazing sight. I'd love to be in Kolkata again one day to witness it! Ganesh Puja is on a much smaller scale but had we been there on the last day we might have seen people take their Ganesh statues down to the river to be immersed in water & float away forever. Although I didn't get to be there this time (our flight was the previous day) I did see some amazing photos on Instagram! 

Have you ever seen a Puja? What religious ceremonies have you witnessed?

Read more of my India posts:
India Diaries: We're going to India! 
Silent Sunday: Above the clouds 
Silent Sunday: At the beach 
India Diaries: Our first week in India