India gears up for festivities with Ganesh Chaturthi beginning today

New Delhi: The 10-day long Ganesh Chaturthi festival began across the country on Friday with traditional fervour and gaiety.

Ganesh Chaturthi or the Ganpati festival is celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of Lord Ganesha, the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.

The houses and places of worship wore a festive look with people offering prayers to the Ganesh idols, adorned with flowers.

Hundreds of people have been thronging the temples, decorated with flowers and colourful lights, to pray to the elephant-headed Hindu god.

Beautiful and decorated idols of Lord Ganesha have been installed in pandals across the city where devotees are seen offering prayers.

In Coimbatore's Puliakulam Vinayagar Temple, Asia's second largest Ganesha idol weighing 190 tonnesn was unveiled today.

In Hyderabad, to promote an eco-friendly festival, over a lakh of clay Ganesh idols were made by Hyderabadi deity makers.
Some also made Ganesha idols inspired by the film Baahubali.

In Nagpur, devotees were seen offering prayers at Tekdi Ganesh temple on the occasion.

Meanwhile, President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have greeted the people on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi.
In his message, the President said, "Heartiest greetings and good wishes to my fellow citizens on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi."