Kathmandu, September 15
Devotees have been lining up since early morning at major Ganesh temples in Kathmandu and other parts of the country to worship Lord Ganesh, who is traditionally accorded the first place of worship in Hindu rituals as the remover of obstacles.
According to Hindu scriptures, Lord Ganesh was born on Bhadra Sukla Chaturthi. Ganesh Chaturthi is being celebrated today with special prayers at temples including Ashok Binayak, Chandra Binayak, Suryabinayak, Kamal Binayak and Kamaladi Ganesh in the Kathmandu Valley, as well as at Ganesh temples across the country.
Ganesh, the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, is traditionally worshipped before other deities during religious ceremonies. Religious scholar Prof Dr Devmani Bhattarai said there is a scriptural tradition of observing a fast dedicated to Ganesh after completing the Haritalika (Teej) fast.
According to the Ganesh Purana, women observing the Teej fast on the third day pray for a happy married life, peace and prosperity, and worship Ganesh on the fourth day to seek protection from obstacles in their lives.
The day is also known as Mangal Chaturthi and is celebrated by the Newa community as Chatha. There is a tradition of distributing a special snack called ‘Chhusa-musya’ to children on the occasion. This year, the festival has fallen on a Tuesday, giving it added significance.
The National Religious Assembly Nepal has been celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi with various programmes since 2008. Assembly Chair Prof Dr Madhav Bhattarai said discourses have been organised at various Ganesh temples today alongside worship and prayers.
He said the assembly will also visit various Ganesh temples to perform worship on behalf of the organisation.
The National Religious Assembly has also been organising the Ganesh chariot procession since 2008.
