By Shriprakash Pandey
Pune, Sep 13 (UNI) The state is all agog to welcome the most beloved and most revered deity lord Ganesh who has leave his celestial abode and arrive on earth today on his 11-days-long visit to the home of his multitude of devotees.
The much-awaited 11-day Ganesh festival has start from today.
During the period, the entire state will be engulfed in holy sublimity.
When it comes to the city's very own ganesh festival, nothing can dampen the spirit of the puneities. The people wee seen visiting places like Bohri Ali, and Tulsh iBaug in numbers to shop for decoration and other items required to welcome the elephant-headed god.
Lord ganesh has been worshipped from times immemorial and its the first deity to be invoked during prayers. But the community celebrations of the ganesh festival were started by father of Indian unrest Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak to serve as a forum for national awakening.
Tilak started the community celebrations in pune in 1893 mainly to forge unity and serve society, and the city, therefore, holds special significance when it comes to welcoming the elephant-headed god.
Celebrations have turned flamboyant over the years but many Ganesh mandals still adhere to the original spirit. They look at the 11-day festivity as a platform to offer something good for society.
From providing under privileged children a reason to cheer to allowing sex workers and eunuchs to performs the Ganesh Arti, the mandals are involved in social work during the festival and throughout the year by conducting various activities like blood donation camps and felicitation of civic workers. Many mandals allow sex workers and eunuchs to perform ganesh "arti"" and serve the poor and needy.
A sea of humanity from all over the state, and even from across the state borders has been descend upon the city to savour the magnificence and opulence with which lord ganesh have installed by the numerous mandals here.
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