Home Ganesh and Reason to Immerse

Ganesh Chaturthi was celebrated at home on Friday and as usual parents bought clay idol of Ganesh and after the worship the idol was immersed in a tub of water in the evening. For last 10 years we have been immersing the idol in same way rather dropping at sea or river (what many others do), and the muddy water is later used for watering plants.

Actually the clay idols should be immersed in rivers, where those days there used to be flood in rivers during this time and the running water wash away the sands on river bed to let water flow easily into the sea instead of slow and steady progress which rise up the groundwater table. The dissolving clay idols control the flow of water by blocking and turning it harder and the dry clay idols suck the water at the floor of river help increasing the groundwater level.

The clay idol put into a bucket of water to dissolve

Our ancestors had a reason to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi and the practice of dissolving clay idols was beneficial then, but what we dissolve these days only pollute the water bodies. The clay was transformed into various toxic substances to give colors and different shapes to Ganesha. These days all rivers run into the state are dry but the reasonable practice, which supposed to take a break turned into a ritual where the choice of immerse becomes anything and most of the times it was sea or lakes.

For those unaware: Ganesh Chaturthi is a grand festival in India, devoted to Ganesha – a prime deity worshiped by Hindus. It is celebrated as ten-day festival in northern states of India and is usually celebrated privately at home as well in public, and is organised by local youth groups mostly where they collect money from public to form pandals (temporary shelters) to install Ganesha idols.