Happy Ganesh Chathurthi

Happy Vinayaka Chavithi to all my friends and Family...

Ganesha Chaturthi also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi, is the Hindu festival celebrated on the occasion of birthday of Lord Ganesha, the son of Shiva and Parvathi, who is believed to bestow his presence on earth for all his devotees in the duration of this festival. It is the day Shiva declared his son Ganesha as superior to all the gods, barring Vishnu, Lakshmi, Shiva and Parvati. Lord Ganesha is believed to be God of power, prosperity,wisdom and good fortune. In India, people worship Ganesh before initiating any work or start any travel. Ganesh Festival is one of the main festivals celebrated blissfully and joyfully all over India.

In Andhra, kudumu (rice flour dumplings stuffed with coconut and jaggery mixture), Vundrallu (steamed coarsely grounded rice flour balls), Panakam (jaggery, black pepper and cardamom flavored drink), Vadapappu (soaked and moong lentils), Chalividi (cooked rice flour and jaggery mixture), etc., are offered to Ganesha along with Modakams. These offerings to god are called Naivedyam in Telugu.

In Andhra, Matti Vinayakudu (Clay Ganesh) and Siddhi Vinayakudu (Turmeric Ganesh) is usually worshiped at homes along with plaster of paris Ganesha. But now a days due to the pollution control and other factors that are effecting the natural resources in the process of nimajjanam the new mantra is getting rounds in India i.e., Go Green by using eco friendly Ganesh. So say no to idols made of chemical, Plaster of paris, baked clay, plastic, thermocol (polystyrene). Opt for natural, biodegradable material so that after immersions (visarjan) it does not pollute water and surroundings. Natural products can be used to make the idol such as unbaked clay, coconut, paint with natural colours, etc. 

So by following this rule for this year I made an idol with my own hands which i wanted to share with you all...  Here are some of the pics of our Bojja Vinayaka and our Puja at home. People celebrate in various ways in each place depending on their customs and traditions. In the same way in Andhra too there are different variations especially the prasadams we offer to God. May be the procedures are the same but the name of the item is different. So according to our tradition we offer Kudumulu and Aardhi(Palu ardhi or bellam kudumulu which is called in some of the places). 

For recipes of kudumulu and Aardhi click here :

So here is our Puja: