The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their...
.........is gold.
One of the richest Ganeshas in Mumbai, this is the GSB Ganpati at Wadala Ram Mandir.
As is common in most traditional Ganesha Pandals all over Mumbai, the Ganesha idol made for this Pandal is made the same way every year. Everything is a constant, from the size and the shape to the gold coverings. Of course, every year there are additions to the gold offered to the deity, which is why you can see necklaces hanging everywhere.Thousands flock to this temple during Ganesh Chaturthi to pray and make offerings. Various havans and pujas are conducted, and thousands are fed. They also perform a lot of social activities from the money collected.
There are two other GSB Ganeshas in Mumbai - one at the SNDT college and one at Kurla. While the SNDT one is as acclaimed as the Wadala one, they did not allow me to take photos this year. However, here is a pic of the Kurla one. This Ganesha is located in the Venkateswara temple in Kurla West, very near the station.
One of the richest Ganeshas in Mumbai, this is the GSB Ganpati at Wadala Ram Mandir.
As is common in most traditional Ganesha Pandals all over Mumbai, the Ganesha idol made for this Pandal is made the same way every year. Everything is a constant, from the size and the shape to the gold coverings. Of course, every year there are additions to the gold offered to the deity, which is why you can see necklaces hanging everywhere.Thousands flock to this temple during Ganesh Chaturthi to pray and make offerings. Various havans and pujas are conducted, and thousands are fed. They also perform a lot of social activities from the money collected.
There are two other GSB Ganeshas in Mumbai - one at the SNDT college and one at Kurla. While the SNDT one is as acclaimed as the Wadala one, they did not allow me to take photos this year. However, here is a pic of the Kurla one. This Ganesha is located in the Venkateswara temple in Kurla West, very near the station.
Wow, beautiful!! :))
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. I too have been frequenting these Ganeshas as I used to be at Mumbai during that period. (Not this year)
ReplyDeleteRich Ganeshas!!! :-)
ReplyDeletequite informative
ReplyDeleteNice pictures Anu.
ReplyDeleteAnu... How are you doing?? I was waiting for this post from you?? Only two pics... ??
ReplyDeleteHope you had a fabulous celebration at home..
Wonderful!
ReplyDelete@Aarti: thanks a lot!
ReplyDelete@PN Subramanian:Ganesh chaturthi in bbay is unforgettable...i just wish i could visit more ganeshas as i used to, earlier...
@Chitra: absolutely!! and there are so many like ths now!
@budh.aah: thanks and welcome here...
@Mridula: thanks...
@Patty: thanks so much! guess you missed the earlier post where i had posted more pics.. take a look...
@Joy: thanks..