With so many important Ganesh Temples including Ashok Binayak , Kamaladhi Ganeshthan, Chandra Binayak in Kathmandu, Suryabinayak and Kamal Binayak in Bhaktapur, Newars in Kathmandu Valley observe Ganesh chaturthi widely.

Ganesh is very popular gods in the valley with shrine in the localities.

The devotees are paying homage at the shrines of Ganesha on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi today across the country.

One of the grandest and the most important of all Hindu festivals, Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated every year as the birth anniversary of Lord Ganesha — the giver of wisdom and the remover of all obstacles.

According to Hindu mythology, Lord Ganesha is remembered and revered before all gods, and it is with his worship that you can begin any new endeavour of yours. People believe he blesses true devotees with unending prosperity and good fortune.

According to Drik Panchang, the festival is celebrated in the Shukla Paksha of the Bhadrapada month which, as per the Gregorian calendar, falls in months of August or September. This year, Ganesh Chaturthi will be celebrated on August 22, which is a Saturday.

As mentioned earlier, the festival coincides with the birth of the elephant-headed god. The legend goes like this: Goddess Durga had fashioned Ganesha out of clay and had breathed life into the idol. She had then asked him to guard her chambers while she bathed. Ganesha was instructed to not allow anyone to enter, no matter who they were.

When Lord Shiva returned from one of his missions, he was faced with a unique challenge of fighting a strange lad who forbade him from meeting his own wife. When Shiva’s repeated attempts of meeting Durga failed, he sent his army that Ganesha vanquished in no time. Enraged, he then fought the little boy himself, and severed his head from his body. When Durga learnt of this, she was livid. She threatened to unleash hell on earth and end all of humanity. Shiva tried to reason with her and even offered to resuscitate Ganesha. But, to no avail.

Goddess Durga said she would only calm down if it is promised to her that her son Ganesha would be the most loved god, and that he would be worshipped before every other god. Lord Shiva agreed to this and even instructed Nandi, his comrade and closest friend to find the head of any living creature that was closest to them. Nandi returned with an elephant’s head that was placed on Ganesha’s body. Thus, he was reborn, and has since been worshipped above and before all gods. It is for this very reason that Ganesh Chaturthi leads the way for every other Hindu festival and happy occasion to follow.

According to Panchang, the Madhyahna Ganesha puja muhurat is between 11.06 am and 01.42 pm on August 22. The chaturthi tithi begins 11.02 pm on August 21, and ends at 07.57 pm on August 22.

People say devotees must begin their day by chanting ‘Ganpati Bappa Morya‘. During the puja, they must offer him besan ladoos for peace and growth. The idol should be placed on a red-coloured cloth, and devotees must light a diya to eliminate the darkness from their life, she advises.