Into the Sea! (Day One)

Worshippers singing and dancing and praying and taking Ganpati to the sea,

 So, once the celebrations of the birth of Ganesha are completed, the pandal must be taken to a body of water and submerged so the spirit of Ganesha returns to his home. Most of the Ganpati have been made of Plaster of Paris in the past but now there is a big movement to make them of clay or mud to help protect the environment. Some of the submersions occur in rivers or lakes, but many go into the sea. The family Ganpati go in on the first day after the previous rituals, then the bigger ones go in on the 3rd, 7th and 10th day, with the really big ones going in on Day Ten. Today though it was a celebration on the beach  as families from all over Mumbai came down to the water to present their Ganpati to the sea. Many gathered just outside my hotel on Rock Beach. I was able to watch as family after family came down, sang the songs of the day and then carefully carried their Ganesha into the waves. Again, it’s all so family oriented and traditional. There are drums, pipes, firecrackers and flares, but really it’s about everyone sharing one idea together, kids, Dads, Mothers, family and friends meet on the beach, light incense, pray and sing and then saying goodbye to their pandals in a wash of the Arabian Sea. Pretty cool.

A Ganesha (orange pandal) heads into the Arabian Sea

In he goes!