Happy Vinayaka Chaturthi: The festival is dedicated to the Lord of new beginnings, Ganesha.
The country is celebrating the 10-day Ganesh Chaturthi, the Hindu festival which is dedicated to the Lord of new beginnings, Ganesha. Devotees across the country began the day offering aarti (the lighting of traditional lamp and camphor) in temples across the country.
On this day, devotees across the country bring idols of Lord Ganesh to their homes and decorate the idols with flowers and garlands. Modaks (dumplings made of rice flour and jaggery) and laddoos, considered as Lord Ganesh's favourite sweets, are offered to please the Hindu God.
This year, the preparations around the country have been downsized due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic which has affected nearly 30 lakh people and killed 56,000 in the country so far.
Most major cities have ordered that effigies of the Lord Ganesha, which can draw thousands of Hindu devotees onto the streets, be shrunk back.
Traditionally, the idols can tower 10 metres (30 feet) high or more and need dozens of people to carry them but this year authorities said they can be no more than 1.1 metres tall in a bid to cut crowds.
The festivities end with the final immersion of an idol of Lord Ganesha, called the Visarjan.
Here are the LIVE updates on Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations across India:
Low-Key Vinayaka Chaviti Festivities In Andhra Pradesh Amid Pandemic
A ban imposed by the state government on community celebration of the festival robbed Vinayaka Chaviti of its traditional fervour in Andhra Pradesh as citizens were confined to their homes in view of the prevailing coronavirus situation.
People celebrated the festival only in their homes as a result of the restrictions across the state.
The streets were devoid of the pandals where the idols of Lord Ganesha in varied shapes and sizes were normally installed for a nine-day celebration.
The only rather public event was the inauguration of the annual Brahmotsavam at the famous Varasiddhi Vinayaka temple at Kanipakam in Chittoor district.
Shraddha Kapoor Welcomes Eco-Friendly Ganesha Idol, Promotes Immersion At Home
As she celebrated the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi with an eco-friendly Ganpati idol, actor Shraddha Kapoor on Saturday urged everyone to immerse the ''Elephant Lord'' in a bucket of water at home.
She took to Instagram to share a picture of herself holding the Ganesha idol in her hand and penned down a caption dedicated to the festival.
Ms Kapoor started by penning down a line from the Ganesha aarti and said, "With this Aarti that will reverberate in many households, I pray to our beloved ''Vighnaharta'' for the good health and peace of mind of everyone!"
Riteish Deshmukh Marks Ganesh Chaturthi By Making Eco-Friendly Idol With His Children
Actor Riteish Deshmukh marked the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi on Saturday by making an eco-friendly Ganesha idol using old newspapers with his sons Riaan and Rahyl Deshmukh.
The ''Housefull'' actor took to Twitter to share a video of himself in the process of making the idol of Lord Ganesha at his home.
As the video begins, Riaan and Rahyl are seen tearing old newspapers and giving them the shape of small balls, which they later joined together with the help of their actor father to make the Ganpati idol.
The kids are then seen painting the idol with bright golden watercolour as they sing, "Happy Birthday to Ganpati bappa."
Ganesh Chaturthi: Celebs Extend Warm Wishes, Urge People To Maintain Social Distancing
Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Karan Johar, Madhuri Dixit-Nene and others on Saturday sent their best wishes to fellow countrymen on the beginning of the ten-day Ganesh Chaturthi festival, urging them to maintain social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Many celebrities flocked to social media to mark the festival, which is being celebrated across the country amid curtailed festivities due to the pandemic.
Taking to Twitter, Mr Bachchan posted several photos of him and his son, actor Abhishek Bachchan, taking part in the festivities in the last few years.
"Ganapati Bappa moreya..." he captioned the photos.
Akshay Kumar, who is currently in the UK to shoot for his upcoming film "BellBottom", asked everyone to maintain social distancing as they celebrate the festival.
COVID-19: Devotees, Pandals Go Online In Ganesh Festival
Amidst the COVID-19 crisis, technology has come handy for devotees and pandals who are using social media to offer virtual darshan of Lord Ganesh during the 10-day festival which began on Saturday.
Many families are using various applications to connect with their family members and friends, as the viral outbreak has restricted physical movements of people.
On the first day of the festival, many people as well as prominent Ganesh pandals took to social media to send invitations for online ''aartis'' and consecration of idols.
Prayers being offered at Arulmigu Manakula Vinayagar Temple, Puducherry on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi.
Vice President of India, M Venkaiah Naidu performed Ganesh Puja with his wife Usha Naidu on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari offers prayers to Lord Ganesha at his residence in Nagpur, on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi.
Chennai Woman Decks Up Home With Lord Ganesha, COVID-19 Decorations
As devotees across the country celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a woman decked up her home decorations with Lord Ganesha and coronavirus theme.
Nandini Venkatesh, a former resident of Singapore told ANI that she had come to India to raise her children and started her collection of memorabilia based on the elephant god.
"My children and I started a collection of lots of Ganesh-Ji themed objects. Every year, we host a three-year exhibition to showcase the memorabilia to the people. Unfortunately, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we have been able to do so. Instead, we have decorated our house with the theme of both coronavirus and Ganesh Chaturthi," Ms Venkatesh said.
The Ganesh Chaturthi festival this year will be celebrated in a much more restricted way due to COVID-19.
According to new guidelines of the Ministry of Home Affairs on July 29, cultural and religious functions and other large congregations will continue to remain prohibited.
Ganesh Chaturthi 2020: Chennai-based woman decorates house with Corona-themed Ganesha
Nandini Vignesh, a Chennai-based woman, decorated her house with Corona-themed Ganesha and thousands of Ganesha idols to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi, news agency ANI reported.
"We started collecting Ganesha idols and now we have 3,500 idols at home. We travelled to many places to collect idols," Nandini Vignesh told ANI.
Devotees offer prayers outside a Lord Ganesh temple in Guwahati on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. A weekend lockdown has been imposed in the state to contain the spread of COVID-19 till August 31.
Ganesh Chaturthi 2020: Uddhav Thackeray offers prayers to Lord Ganesha at his residence in Mumbai.Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray offered prayers to Lord Ganesha at his residence in Mumbai.
COVID-19 dampens festive spirit among idol makers
Idol makers across the national capital have prepared Ganesh idols, in expectations of meeting demand amid the pandemic, reported news agency ANI.
"Compared to last year, the sales have gone completely down. Making of idols is our family business, and we have been doing it for years. This might be the first time that we are facing such dip in orders from customers," said Uttam Kumar to ANI, an idol maker who has his stall in Matka Market, near Sarojini Nagar.
This year, the preparations around the country have been downsized due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
On this day, devotees across the country bring idols of Lord Ganesh to their homes and decorate the idols with flowers and garlands. Modaks (dumplings made of rice flour and jaggery) and laddoos, considered as Lord Ganesh's favourite sweets, are offered to please the Hindu God.
The country is celebrating the 10-day Ganesh Chaturthi, the Hindu festival which is dedicated to the Lord of new beginnings, Ganesha. Devotees across the country began the day offering aarti (the lighting of traditional lamp and camphor) in temples across the country.