Crores of rupees are spent on this festival. Nicely decorated pandals, magnificent lightings illuminating the streets and huge Ganesha idols adorned in golden jewelries make Ganesh Chaturthi a festival in true sense. The streets get flooded with people dressed in new colorful clothes. The idol of Ganesh is generally kept for 8 to 10 days in the pandals. Pandal hopping and dining outside are two of the favorite activities of Ganesh Chaturthi.
The worship of Ganesha is performed in every house during the Ganesh Chaturthi as Ganesh is believed to bring good luck and success. Small idols are installed and worshipped by priests. The idols are offered Modak, a special sweet which is believed to be Ganesha’s favorite. It’s mandatory to perform Arti during the dawn and dusk until the immersion of the idol. The chanting of “Ganpati Bappa Mauriya, Mangal Murti Mauriya” could be heard during the Puja and immersion of the God.
With the Visarjan of the Ganesh idol the festival comes to an end. The idol is immersed in the sea or rivers followed by huge processions. The processions are accompanied by band parties and groups of men and women dancing.
