Ganesh Chaturthi & Chaurchan from West to East for the Moon

Ganesh Chaturthi & Chaurchan from West to East for the Moon

Ganesh Chaturthi and Chaurchan, both festivals are associated with the deity Moon, who was cursed by God Ganesh, the younger son of Lord Shiva. Lord Ganesh was strolling on his vehicle mouse in the Kailash Mountain when the moon was caught laughing at him for his weird look. Offended by the gesture of the moon, Lod Ganesh cursed him that he would not remain beautiful from that day onwards. His beauty started diminishing. The moon was shattered with his curse, and he apologized to Ganesh. The curse could not be removed completely, but it was reduced to remain effective for only one day. That day since then has been celebrated as Ganesh Chaturthi in western India, especially in Maharashtra. It was the mythological context of Ganesh Chaturthi.

Now, in the medieval period, Ganesh Chaturthi was celebrated by Maharaj Shivaji with lots of fanfare and enthusiasts to ignite the sentiments of the Hindus to fight against the Mughal hegemony. Religion was the biggest tool to galvanize the common mass to become united in fighting war, and it helped Shivaji establish himself as the Hindu Empire in the western part of India from the clutch of the Mughals.

Later on, taking a leaf from the books of Maharaj Shivaji, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, a renowned freedom fighter known for his famous slogan, “Swaraj is my birth right; I shall have it,” used Ganesh Chaturthi as a political tool to assemble people and convince them to join hands in a fight with the British administration. He remained quite successful in raising the voice against the colonial rule in India. Since then, a political fervour has been added to the religious sentiments of the common people in India. Therefore, we can conclude here how Ganesh Chaturthi, a religious festival that originated from the mythological story of Hinduism, became a political and social tool to instil nationalistic pride among the common people of western India. Moving further, the regional parties of Maharashtra lapped up the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi in collaboration with Bollywood stars to paint it in modern art for remaining in prominence politically, socially, and culturally. 

Apart from the Ganesh Chaturthi, based on the same mythological story, Chaurchan was started in Darbhanga, Bihar, in the sixteen centuries when Hemangada Thakur was the king of Mithila. He was arrested by the Mughal King for not paying land taxes. He was brought to Delhi, and Mughal emperor Akbar put him in jail. King Hemangada was a scholar of astronomy, so he prepared a chart of eclipses in the name of Graham Mala. Akbar was impressed with his calculations and released him from jail, and land tax was waived off as well. His return to Mithila Kingdom took place on the same day on which the deity Moon was relieved from the curse of God Ganesh. Queen Hemalata observed fast for the whole day, prepared different kinds of regional foods, and spread everything in the bright moonlight for paying homage to the deity Moon. It was also believed that holding fruit in hands and worshipping the deity moon would free the problems of life on this day. Since then, Chaurchan has become part of Mithila culture to honour the deity moon. Along with India, Nepal also celebrates Chaurchan as it happens in Bihar, Jharkhand, and Eastern UP.

 

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