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Ganesh Chaturthi
 Ganesh
or Vinayak Chaturthi is celebrated to mark the birthday of Lord
Ganesh or Vinayak. This famous festival is celebrated with excitement and enthusiasm throughout the country along with Andhra Pradesh. The duration of
Ganesh Chaturthi is ten days and on the tenth day Ganesh idols are immersed in the
Hussain Sagar lake.
Lord Ganesha is the elephant-headed God. He is worshipped first in any prayers. His Names are repeated first before any auspicious work is begun, before any kind of worship is begun.
He is the Lord of power and wisdom. He is the eldest son of Lord Shiva and the elder brother of
Skanda or Kartikeya. He is the energy of Lord Shiva and so He is called the son of Shankar and
Umadevi. By worshipping Lord Ganesha mothers hope to earn for their sons the sterling virtues of
Ganesha.
History
One day Parvathi, wife of Lord Siva made a boy with turmeric & breathed life into it. She then asked the boy to guard the door till she took her bath. The boy was instructed not to allow any one to enter. When Siva came and tried to open the door, the boy objected to it. In a fit of anger Siva severed the boy's head with his Trishul. When Parvathi came to know what had happened to the boy she began to weep.
Seeing this Siva's heart melted and he promised to put back life into the boy. After a massive search Siva's disciples could find the head of an elephant to fix on the boy's body. From then on he was called Gajanan, the elephant-headed boy. From this day is celebrated as birth of Lord
Ganesha. The idol of the Lord is worshipped for 10 days and on the eleventh day it is immersed in river or sea amidst a huge procession.
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