Lord Ganesh is worshipped first in any prayers. He is the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi, and the brother of Lord Karthikeya (Subramanya). According to Hindu mythology, Lord Ganesha is the remover of all obstacles that stand in your spiritual path.Some of the important aspects of Ganesh Chaturthi rituals in India are fasting, feasting and distribution of sweets. Modakam (a sweet dish stuffed with jaggery and coconut) is Ganesha's favorite sweet. After the ritual worship, these sweets are distributed as "prasadams" (sacred food) to the people present there.

Ganadhipati-Our Ganapati..


 A mythological story goes like this. Once Ganesh and his brother Karthikeyan had a dispute as to who was to lead the  Devaganas, and the matter reached their father Lord Shiva. He decided that whoever goes around the world and comes back   first will be declared as the winner.

 Karthikeya immediately flew on his vehicle, the peacock, to tour around the world, but Ganesha went around His Divine  parents, and came back and asked for his prize. The wise Ganesh justified it saying His parents represent the entire  manifested universe. Thus, Lord Ganesh became the elder son and the Gananayaka or Ganapati.

 Curse on Moon..

 It is also believed that on one of His birthdays Ganesha was going around house to house accepting his favorite offerings of  sweet dishes. Suddenly his vehicle, the mouse stumbled down seeing a snake and Lord Ganesh fell down, which made the  moon laugh at him. Annoyed, he cursed the moon that no one should look at the moon on the Ganesh Chaturthi day. If  anyone does, he will earn a bad name.

Gowripuja..

In Karnataka, before the day of Ganesh Chaturthi, people indulge themselves in Gowri Pooja. On this auspicious day, Goddess Parvathi, mother of Lord Ganesh, is worshipped, especially by married women, for the longevity of their marriage and to achieve marital bliss.

Ganesh Festival is celebrated in Maharashtra in a grand way. It is celebrated for ten days. These days are full of joy and festivity and cultural programs are the part of this festival. During the struggle for independence, Indian freedom fighter Lokmanya Tilak made it a public festival, for the unity of people.

Ganesha's Idols are the main attraction of this festival and the localities compete with each other to make their best. On the last day of the celebration, the idol is taken out in procession and immersed in sea.