BENGALURU:
The 10-day-long annual Ganesh Chaturthi festival began on a low-key note on Friday with several state governments prohibiting public celebrations due to the Covid pandemic and devotees taking the virtual route to pay obeisance and join the festivities.
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted people on the occasion and wished happiness and good fortune to all.
“Shri Ganesh ji is revered as an embodiment of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune in our country. May the Lord Vinayaka remove all obstacles in our endeavours!” Naidu said.
My warm greetings on the auspicious occasion of ‘Ganesh Chaturthi’.
— Vice President of India (@VPSecretariat) September 10, 2021
Shri Ganesh ji is revered as an embodiment of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune in our country. May the Lord Vinayaka remove all obstacles in our endeavours!#GaneshChaturthi #VinayakaChavithi pic.twitter.com/iO0xOA9uCj
In a tweet, Modi said, “Greetings to all on Ganesh Chaturthi. May this auspicious occasion bring happiness, peace, good fortune and health in everyone”s life. Ganpati Bappa Morya!”
आप सभी को गणेश चतुर्थी की मंगलकामनाएं। यह पावन अवसर हर किसी के जीवन में सुख, शांति, सौभाग्य और आरोग्य लेकर आए। गणपति बाप्पा मोरया!
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 10, 2021
Ganesh Chaturthi marks the birth of Lord Ganesh, who is revered as an embodiment of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune.
Authorities at a temple in Bengaluru has used eco-friendly items such as flowers, corn and raw bananas to decorate the idol of Ganesha as part of Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations.
Every year, the Sri Satya Ganapathi Temple in JP Nagar gets decorated with different items and follows a unique concept.
Speaking to ANI, the trustee of the temple, Mohan Raju said, “This year we have decorated the idol of Lord Ganesha with nine different types of flowers, corn, raw bananas and leaves. After three days of celebration, everything will be distributed among devotees, so that nothing goes waste.”
The Karnataka government has also issued COVID-19 guidelines to be followed during the celebrations of Ganesh Chaturthi. “This year, we can do ‘alankar’ only in the temple, otherwise, we used to do it outside the temple and decorate the 30 feet long idol of Ganesha,” he added.
Keeping in view all the COVID-19 protocols and to spread awareness among devotees, the temple has also organised a
vaccination camp outside the temple where all unvaccinated devotees will be vaccinated after visiting the temple.
“We are also taking care of sanitisation and providing masks to those who entered the temple without wearing it,” he said.
A devotee, Shweta said, “It is a very special festival Hindus and I am feeling very good after visiting this temple. The trustee has been decorating the temple for the last four days.”
