Ganesh Chaturthi is a very important occasion for people who honour Lord Ganesha. Take note of the puja samagri ahead of time because you will need several things during the 10-day Ganeshotsav.
Ganesh Chaturthi is one of the most popular celebrations in India. People used to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi with great joy. It is one of the big Hindu auspicious days honouring Lord Ganesha, who is known as the god of knowledge and wealth and the remover of obstacles. The fourth day (Chaturthi) of the Shukla Paksha (waxing moon) in the Hindu month of Bhadrapada is celebrated as Ganesh Chaturthi. It is the day when Lod Ganesha is being worshipped through a few rituals. To perform Ganesh puja, you need to follow certain specific rituals and require some puja samagri (worship materials). Let’s find details of it.
Important Rituals of Ganesh Chaturthi:
Ganesh Sthapana (installation of the Idol):
A Ganesha idol has been set up at home or in a public pandal to start the holiday. Clay or other eco-friendly materials are often used to make the idol. First, you need to clean the puja area properly and decorate it with flowers, lights and rangolis. Place a red cloth or altar cloth. After that only you can set up the idol or picture of Lord Ganesh on a clean platform or altar. Then you need to arrange all the puja samagri items properly and in an orderly manner.
Pranapratishtha (Invoking the Deity):
In this ritual, the spirit of Lord Ganesha is called into the idol. Lord Ganesha is invited to the house by the priest or the head of the family, chanting holy mantras and performing aarti.
Shodashopachara Puja (16 Step Worship):
As part of the worship, there are 16 distinct offerings that have been presented to Lord Ganesha. These are called Shodashopachara.
Among these offers are:
i) Dhyaan (meditation)
ii) Aavahan (invocation)
iii) Asan (offering of seat)
iv) Paadya (washing of feet)
v) Arghya (offering water)
vi) Achaman (offering water for sipping)
vii) Madhuparka (offering honey, ghee, and curd mixture)
viii) Snan (offering a bath)
ix) Vastra (offering clothes)
x) Yajnopavita (offering sacred thread)
xi) Gandha (offering sandalwood paste)
xii) Pushpa (offering flowers)
xiii) Dhoop (offering incense)
xiv) Deep (offering light)
xv) Naivedya (offering food)
xvi) Aarti (singing hymns with lamps)
Offerings of sweet and Bhog (Sacred Food):
People who worship Lord Ganesha serve him sweets like laddoos, fruits, and coconuts, as well as Modak, a sweet dumpling that is thought to be his favourite. These all are given to the Ganesh as naivedya.
Recitation of Mantras and Aartis:
An important part of the puja is singing songs and chanting mantras to Lord Ganesha, such as ‘Ganapati Stotra’ and ‘Ganesh Atharvashirsha.’ The daily worship ends with the aarti, which is a ritual of praise with a lit lamp.
Visarjan (Immersion of the Idol):
At the time of visarjana, you need to immerse the Ganesha idol in water to represent Lord Ganesha's return to Mount Kailash, his holy home. Celebrants say goodbye to Lord Ganesha with a parade, songs, and dances, hoping he will return next year.
Ganesh Chaturthi: Essential Puja Samagri:
In our scriptures, there are a lot of things mentioned and without which the worship of Lord Ganesha is considered to be incomplete. If you include these things in the worship, then all your wishes are fulfilled.
This year, on the day of Ganesh Chaturthi, people worship Ganesha and install Ganpati Bappa in their homes. Although Lord Ganesha is worshipped before every auspicious work. But on Ganesh Chaturthi, Bappa ji is worshipped with great pomp and show all over the country. Worshipping Ganesha brings knowledge, prosperity and good fortune. But it is also very important to worship him with the right rules.
To perform the Ganesh Chaturthi rituals, the following items are considered essential:
1. Ganesh Idol:
A clay idol of Lord Ganesha is usually bought fresh for the festival. First of all, you have to bring an idol of Lord Ganesha and keep in mind that it will be immersed in a few days. Bringing an eco-friendly Ganesh murti is the smart thing to do. Doing this, your immersion will not hurt the earth, and your puja will be seen as a success.
2. Chowki and Red Cloth:
The Lord should never be kept on the ground, so, to install the idol of Lord Ganesha, you need a Chowki or Pata. Choose a proper and clean place to install the idol. A wooden platform (chowki) is covered with a red cloth to place the idol.
3. Kalash (Holy Pot):
For the puja, you also need a kalash and a coconut. During the puja, you have to place a copper or brass kalash filled with water near the idol and keep a coconut on top of the kalash, topped with mango or betel leaves.
4. Flowers:
For worshipping Ganesha, fresh flowers like marigolds, hibiscus, and lotus are used primarily as an ingredient of decoration and offering.
5. Radish leaves:
It is believed that offering radish leaves pleases Bappa, so these are especially offered to Lord Ganesha, which is very dear to him.
6. Garlands:
A lot of flowers and Durva grasses are also required. With flowers, you need to make garlands for Lord Ganesha for puja.
7. Incense Sticks and Dhoop:
To purify the puja places and add fragrances to the environment, incense sticks are required.
8. Camphor (Kapoor):
During the puja time to perform the Aarti, you need camphor to invoke divine energy and worship God.
9. Fruits and Sweets:
For performing puja, you need some fresh fruits, coconut and of course the favourite sweets of Lord Ganesha's, i.e., modak and laddoo. These are all offering him as a naivedya during puja time.
10. Panchamrit:
For the ritual bathing, which is also known as Abhishekam, a mixture of milk, honey, curd, ghee, and sugar is required, which is known as panchamrit.
11. Betel leaves and areca nuts:
Betal leaves and areca nuts are mostly used as offerings to Lord Ganesha.
12. Rice (Akshat):
Unbroken rice grains, which are known as akshat, are used for offering and decoration.
13. Sandalwood Paste (Chandan):
The sacred sandalwood paste must be applied to the idol and used for tilak (forehead mark). This is an auspicious symbol for the devotees also.
14. Turmeric (Haldi) and Vermillion (Kumkum):
These two special ingredients are used for tilak and applied to the idol.
15. Cotton Wicks and Oil/Ghee Lamps:
These are useful for lighting diyas (lamps) during the aarti.
16. Coins and Dakshina:
During the rituals, coins and dakshina are required as a token of respect.
17. Conch Shell (Shankh):
It is a holy thing that is used to blow during the aarti to bring auspicious vibrations.
Ganesh Chaturthi is both a time to show loyalty and a chance to ask for divine gifts and wealth to come into your life. People can perform the Ganesh Chaturthi puja with great respect and devotion. If they know and follow the rituals and use the important puja samagri. This will make sure that their celebration of this happy holiday is meaningful and satisfying. In this rite, the spirit of Lord Ganesha is called into the idol. Lord Ganesha is invited to the house by the priest or the head of the family, chanting holy mantras and performing aarti.
