Vakra tunda maha kaya surya koti sam prabha nirvighnam kuru me dev sarva karye shu sarvada!

The meaning of this great verse is: The one with the squiggly trunk and a big body, the one with the aura which is god like & the one who removes all the obstacles from the path, I salute you.

Do you want to know the history of Ganesh chaturthi festival?

Here is the story. India was ruled by Britishers and they passed a law that banned indians to have meetings or get togethers. Bal Gangadhar Tilak was a freedom fighter, he decided to act against it. He knew the British plan. If people did not meet there will not be any unity. He also knew that there will be great loss of lives.

Then he came up with an idea. He thought of Sarvjanik Ganesh mahotsav. This way people could meet and if the British attack them people will not like somebody saying something against their god and revolt. He was right. The British did not dare to attack them. This festival continues to this day and it keeps people together and is a great fun.

People have started keeping Ganesha idols at their homes too.
I hope they all use an eco friendly Ganpati.

A very happy Ganesh Chaturthi.