Om Sairam,
Dear Sai Devotees,
By Baba's grace Shirdi Sai Baba Temple Association of London will be celebrating "Shri Ganesh Utsav 2024" starting 07th September to 17th September.
Ganesh Chaturthi - Celebrations, rituals & tradition:
The festival is observed in the Hindu calendar month of Bhaadrapada, starting on the shukla chaturthi (fourth day of the waxing moon).
Ganesh Chaturthi starts with the installation of Ganesh idol. The priest, usually clad in red or white dhoti and uttariyam (Shawl), then symbolically invokes life into the idol by chanting mantras. This ritual is the Pranapratishhtha. After this the ritual called as Shhodashopachara (16 ways of paying tribute) follows. Coconut, jaggery, 21 modakas, 21 blades of durva grass(a variety of grass very dear to Lord Ganesha) and red hibiscus flowers are offered. His Swaroop is then anointed with red unguent, typically made of kumkum and sandalwood paste. Throughout the ceremony, Vedic hymns from the Rig Veda, the Ganapati Atharva Shirsha Upanishad, and the Ganesha stotra from the Narada Purana are chanted.
Ganesha is worshiped for 10 days from Bhadrapada Shudha Chaturthi to the Ananta Chaturdashi, On the 11th day, the idol is taken through the streets in a procession accompanied with dancing, singing, and fanfare to be immersed in a river or the sea symbolizing a ritual see-off of the Lord in his journey towards his abode in Kailash while taking away with him the misfortunes of his devotees. This is the ritual known as Ganesha Visarjan.
Full program from sthaapna to visarjan at Shirdi Sai Baba Temple in Wembley & Leicester is as below:
07/09/2024 Saturday (1st Day):
10:30 AM - Shri Ganesh Sthaapna
11:00 AM - Shri Ganesh Aarti
07:00 PM - Shri Ganesh Aarti
08/09/2024 to 16/09/2024:
11:50 AM - Shri Ganesh Aarti
07:00 PM - Shri Ganesh Aarti
17/09/2024 Tuesday (Last Day):
11:50 AM - Shri Ganesh Aarti
01:00 PM - Shri Ganesh Visarjan
Full program from sthaapna to visarjan at Shirdi Sai Baba Temple & Community Centre in Reading is as below:
07/09/2024 Saturday (1st Day):
10:30 AM - Shri Ganesh Sthaapna
11:00 AM - Shri Ganesh Aarti
07:30 PM - Shri Ganesh Aarti
08/09/2024 to 16/09/2024:
11:50 AM - Shri Ganesh Aarti
07:30 PM - Shri Ganesh Aarti
17/09/2024 Tuesday (Last Day):
11:50 AM - Shri Ganesh Aarti
01:00 PM - Shri Ganesh Visarjan
Please feel free to contact us for any queries or concerns.
Kind Regards
SHITAL-Team