Magh Shukla Ganesh Chaturthi (Ganesh Jayanti)
Ganesh Jayanti also is known as Til Kund Chaturthi, Tila Kund Chavithi and Magh Shukla Chaturthi are Hindu festivals. It is a popular festival in Maharashtra.
The day is believed as the birthday of Lord Ganesh. The difference between Ganesh Jayanti and Ganesh Chaturthi is that later is observed in the month of August/September (Bhadrapada Hindu Month) while Ganesh Jayanti is celebrated in Maagh month which corresponds to the January/February month of the Gregorian calendar. It is held on Shukla paksha Chaturthi day (the fourth day of the bright fortnight of the waxing moon).
According to tradition, Magh Ganesh Jayanti is the actual birthday of Ganesha. It is said that the Ganesh Chaturthi was started by freedom fighter Lokmanya Tilak. The festival became a major social and public event after a public appeal by Tilak who championed it as a means to circumvent the colonial British government ban on Hindu gatherings through its anti-public assembly legislation in 1892.
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In 2024 Ganesh Jayanti falls on 13th February (Tuesday).
On this day people worship Lord Ganesh, they make images of Ganesh out of turmeric, sindoor, and sometimes cow dung and worship it.
Special preparation is made of til (sesame seeds) and offered to Lord Ganesh. As til is used in the preparation of food on this day hence it is also called Til Kund Chaturthi.
The tradition of observing fast throughout the day followed by a feast in the night is observed by many devotees. On the fourth day of the festival, the idol is immersed in the water.
In Maharastra it is celebrated in a grand way, devotees flock to the Moreshwar temple in Morgaon, Pune district, and Siddhivinayaka temple at Siddhatek, Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra in large numbers. Also, palki yatra which is conducted in Pune is very popular.
Thousand of devotees across India participate in Maaghi Ganesh Utsav and take blessings of Shree Ashtavinayak.
Suggested Read: Ganesh Chalisa, Sankata Nashanam Ganapati Stotram
Ganesh Jayanti Katha
According to the birth story of Lord Ganesha, once Goddess Parvati went to the room to bathe. But at that time there was no maid present there she made an idol with their scum, sandalwood, and turmeric paste. After which Goddess Parvati, with her power, breathed life into the shape. And lord, Ganesha came into being!
Mother Parvati commanded the child not to let anyone in while she was bathing, and the child did the same.
When Shiva came home he attempted to enter the house though, he was met with resistance in the form of the boy Ganesh. Neither of them knew they were related. Shiva got angry at not being allowed in and dealt with the situation by chopping off Ganesh’s head.
It was at this moment that Parvati came out to find what Shiva had done. She was inconsolable but managed to tell Shiva that the boy whose head he had cut off was in fact his son. Angry and upset at the hash he had made of the situation, Shiva decided to fix it.
He went out and hunted the first animal he saw, the elephant, and brought back its head to replace the boy. That is how Ganesh has an elephant head. He is worshipped as the remover of obstacles.
Ganesh Aarti
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