On the occasion of Vinayak Chaturthi, celebrated today across South India, Vedic chants and the sound of bells reverberate in the air as devotees flock to various temples to offer prayers to the beloved elephant-headed deity, Lord Ganesha.
At the Sri Ganesh Temple in Secunderabad, Telangana state, people patiently wait their turn to offer prayers in a snaking queue.
In Hyderabad, joyous celebrations were taking place at pandals across the city, with devotees dressed in festival attire and performing traditional folk dances.
Devotees in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, queue up early in the morning to visit the famous Mundi Vinayagar temple, dedicated to Lord Ganesha.
The temple houses a magnificent idol of the deity carved in black stone, 20 feet high.
An elaborate ritual was performed at the Haritra Vinayagar Temple in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, amidst the gaze of mesmerised devotees.
The temple deity was beautifully adorned in silver armour and a special Abhishek consisting of milk, water and various other offerings was offered to him on this auspicious occasion.
From dawn onwards, a huge crowd thronged Lalbagcha Raja, one of the most popular Ganesha statues in Mumbai.
Lakhs of devotees from across the world are expected to visit the pandal during the 10-day festival.
Ganesh Chaturthi, the birth celebration of Lord Ganesha, began on Saturday with idols of the deity being installed in homes and public squares across the country amid much celebration and devotional frenzy.
Families, including children and elderly people, came out of their homes early in the morning to worship the elephant-headed deity and then carried the idol back home amid chants of ‘Ganpati Bappa Morya’ and the beating of drums.
Video: PTI
