Celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi – Konkan

It feels great to be a part of a Maharashtrian family as I get to celebrate so many unique festivals 🙂 As you all know by now I’m born & brought in Pune but all my ancestors from Mom & Dad’s side were located in Konkan, Sindhudurg. The district is named after the fort of Sindhudurg (which means “fort in the sea”). Lord Ganesha is the first God we Hindus worship for any special ocassion.

Being a Puneite, I made sure each Ganpati season was celebrated with enthusiasm as we had no Ganpati at home, it was mandatory for our family to visit Dagdusheth Temple each year. I’m surely missing Pune this year 🙁

Hubby – Elder Aunt’s Ganpati

Anyways let’s head towards the main topic guys! I am back again with the fun blogging series #festiveblogging with my blogger gang girls for #ganpatiblogging.

Hubby – Uncle’s Ganpati

People have migrated to mostly Mumbai & lesser ones in Pune too to earn a livelihood. They come to visit their parents & relatives here for different occasions around the year. One special festival is Ganesh Chaturthi so there is a huge crowd here in these 10 days. Pune is famous for Sarvajanik (Public) Ganpati Pandals (structure set to venerate Ganpati or Lord Ganesha), Konkan is famous for Home Ganpati (ChakarMani).

Hubby’s Second Aunt’s Ganpati

It came to my notice that, Ganesh Festival here is different from Pune by every mean. In Pune, it was started in 1894 by Bal Gangadhar Tilak who initiated the concept of the “Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav” (Pandal Ganpati).

So Konkan is mostly crowded these days with the “Mumbaikars” for 11 days. Every corner of each village has some different style of celebrating this festival. We have no Ganpati at our home here in Konkan but a big idol is all set at our main ancestral home in Mhapan, Kudal with special clay, this soil is special as it is called “Chikanmati” which dissolves while immersing the idol, this clay is so hard after it’s dried & is made in such a way that even while transportation it won’t break easily. They usually make our Ganpati with 21 balls of clay, this procedure is done by all old men in the “verandah”

Our Ancestral Bappa – Theme looks like A King 🙂

Each house is filled with aromatic fragrances of incense sticks & each night a gang of girls & boys with middle-aged people & old ones visit each house in the village for “Bhajans” with each day having different prasad. After every Bhajan is done kids lit crackers, now there is an interesting fact which I came across during this festival, the paddy crops don’t get ripen during monsoon. Hence, there is no harm in crackers used on the land. But in Diwali, the paddy crops get ripen and there is a lot of risk in bursting cracker. If a single bursting cracker enters the paddy crop then the entire crop will burn in this process, so this is the only season kids only & wait for eagerly each year.

With this Ganpati’s favorite prasad is always made for next 10 days & i.e. Modaks. Now as generation came there are changes in modaks too but the classic ones remain the same & it’s “Ukadiche Modak” aka “Steamed Modak”, now these are usually handmade & steamed in a steamer. It is also made during Sankashthi Chaturthi – an auspicious day dedicated to Ganesha

With rhythms of ‘Bhajan’, dance and prasad distribution, devotees of Lord Ganesha bid adieu to the God.