Ganesh Chathurthi in Dagaduseth

Dagaduseth temple, pune

India, a land of diverse religion and culture celebrated Ganesh chathurthi, a ten day Hindu festival which ended on 23rd of September 2018. Ganesh chathurthi or Vinayaka chathurthi is observed especially in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Telengana, Goa and Andhra Pradesh. It is also celebrated in countries like Nepal, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, South Africa and Canada.

Dagaduseth Halwai ganpati temple, which is in Budhwar peth ,Pune also observed this festival. This temple is one of the most famous temples of Maharashtra. The temple has been celebrating Ganesh chathurthi for more than a century, 126 years to be exact.Having been built in 1893 by Dagaduseth Gadve a famous sweetmaker in the mid 1800’s( ‘Halwai’ in Marathi for sweetmaker which also later became his surname) ,the Ganesh idol is ornamented with nearly 40 kilograms of gold. It is also insured with a sum of rupees 1 crore.

The festival is observed with grandeur manifesto. People from all parts of the world come to this famous temple to devote their time on this occasion. Devotees of this temple also include celebrities and ministers of Maharashtra.

The surrounding environment  during the time of Chathurthi in Dagaduseth is very chaotic because of the number of people present. More than 4-5 lakh people gather for this particular festival. It includes people from all religious backgrounds, culture and diversity. Some include people who are devotees while some come just to get amazed. The crowd is so much that people stand in a queue for hours at a stretch to simply get a glimpse of the idol and offer what they have to. The offerings usually include flowers, coconuts and sweets.

The faith people have in following this is remarkable. Their belief simply cannot be put into descriptive words. A devotee, when asked about his purpose of coming to the temple for 17 years said “Humari har prarthna sunte hai woh.. Meri beti Canada mein job karti hai. Uske liye yehi par prarthna karne aye the hum.”  

While some come out of pure dedication,there are people who also come to just visit for festivity and fun. This includes the young-age group which comprises of the youth. They come so that they can spend some quality fun time together with their friends.

Foreigners also visit this place to understand the culture and traditions of the country. A Spanish couple when asked about their experience at Dagaduseth said “we haven't completely understood the culture but we are getting to know a little bit”  They also conveyed their interest in attending the visarjan ceremony which is basically immmersing the clay idol of Ganesh in the river in which the clay melts and people believe it as a sign that Ganesh returns to mount Kailas to reunite with Shiva and Parvati.

The security during this festival is very tight. The police department places several officers on every corners in the place, since with increased crowd, the probability of crime increases. The police officers don't seem to have a pleasant life during this festival since they never are able to go get a glimpse of the idol or bring their wives and children to the place to spend some quality time. When asked about it one of the Constable said “bura lagta toh hai….lekin desh ke liye kurbani deni toh padegi”.

On the last day of the festival, the clay idol, followed by a long procession of people with music and dance is taken to the river to be immersed, lavishing a vibeof happiness and joy to the surrounding.

                     

          ----Cerullo Justin