With India still chanting ‘Ganapati Bappa Morya’, let’s take a look at the importance of the last day of this pious Hindu festival. Anant Chaturdashi marks the last day of the 10-day-long Ganesh Chaturthi festival. Also known as Ganesh Visarjan, Anant Chaturdashi falls on the 14th day of the lunar fortnight and is considered a day for special prayers for Hindus. During the Visarjan, the idols of Lord Ganesh are taken to the nearby water bodies for inundating them with water. With people dancing in colorful parades, Anant Chaturdashi turns India into an enchanting source of pure divinity.
Story Behind Anant Chaturdashi
The story behind offering prayers to God Anant brings to us a girl, Sushila. Her father Sumant was a Brahmin who remarried a woman named Karkash after Sushila’s mother passed away. However, tired of her stepmother’s torturous attitude, Sushila married Kaundinya and moved away.
During their journey, the couple passed a river and Kaundinya soon went for a bath there. Meanwhile, Sushila was intrigued by some women praying nearby the river. Sushila enquired about their worship and learned that they were worshipping Anant. Sushila then understood Anant’s vow with the womenfolk teaching her the rituals and tying the ceremonial thread on her. After that day, both Sushila and her husband miraculously prospered in their lives.
The string, called Anant, has got 14 knots and is typically colored with kumkum. Womenfolk tie the knot in their left hands while the men tie it in their right.
Importance Of The Last Day Of Ganesh Chaturthi
During Ganesh Chaturthi, devotees of Lord Ganesha invite him to their homes for health, wealth, and prosperity. Throughout the ten days, Lord Ganesha is worshipped with devotion and flooded with prayers. And on the tenth day, his journey comes to an end with Anant Chaturdashi. On this day, people bid adieu to Ganeshji after thanking him for all the blessings he brought with him. The idol is immersed in water during Visarjan so that Lord Ganesh may return to his home after his ten days ‘stay’ at his devotees’ place during Ganesh Chaturthi.
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