Devotees offer food to an elephant as they arrive to pray at a Lord Ganesha temple in Guwahati, Assam, on Aug 27.
India ushered in Ganesh Chaturthi on August 27 with prayers, devotion, and community festivities marking the birth of Lord Ganesha, revered as the remover of obstacles and harbinger of new beginnings.
Across cities, households installed elaborately decorated idols, offering prayers and sweets, while grand public pandals (fabricated structures) turned into hubs of music, dance, and cultural programmes.
In New Delhi, devotees danced to drumbeats in colourful processions carrying Ganesha idols. Maharashtra, the heartland of the festival, declared the 10-day celebration a state festival, with streets illuminated and shrines welcoming thousands of worshippers daily.
The festival will culminate with the visarjan – immersion of idols into water bodies – symbolising Lord Ganesha’s return to his celestial abode.
