Celebrate Ganesh Chathurthi the Maharashtrian Way: Try These 7 Classical Ganesh Chaturthi Recipes, Maharashtrian Style

It’s that time of the year again that all Maharashtrians are excited about. Lord Ganesha’s birthday is celebrated with much fervor in many parts of India and especially in Maharashtra. As a part of the ritual, it is required to offer food to the Lord as prasad or nivedyam after the puja. Here in this guide, we tell you how to prepare some recipes in authentic Maharashtrian way.

Ganesh Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chaturthi is a Hindu festival celebrated all over India, especially in Maharashtra. This 10-day festival is devoted to celebrating the birth of Lord Ganesh, the elephant-headed god. Ganesha is popularly worshiped in the belief that he can remove obstacles in life and bring good fortune. The Ganesh Chaturthi festival takes place in September and is a spectacular event to watch. You will be amazed to see Grand statues of the deity, worship ceremonies and food offerings during this time. Ganesh idols are also worshiped in households during this festival.

Every festival has a story or myth behind it. Lord Ganesha is said to be the son of God Shiva and goddess Parvati. It is believed that Parvati created Ganesha out of dirt from her body to guard the door while she finishes her bath. Unknown of Shiva, Ganesha refused to let him enter. Lord Shiva in a fit of anger, severed Ganesha’s head. Upon Parvathy’s demand to bring back the child to life, Shiva replaced the head with that of an elephant, thus creating Lord Ganesh in his present form. Devotees celebrate this auspicious moment by worshipping and offering food to the Lord. It is said that Lord Ganesha was fond of food, especially the sweet, Modak. It is auspicious to offer bhog/ prasad to the lord to impress him and to seek blessings.

The significance of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival traces back to the Maratha ruler, Shivaji. It is said that he initiated the festival long back. Henceforth, freedom fighter Lokmanya Tilak revived it as a common platform for Indians to resist British rule in early India. It is thus considered as a vital element in unifying Indians of all communities. It is one of the most awaited festivals in Maharashtra. People of Mumbai celebrate the festival like no other. The zeal and enthusiasm of devotees are totally epic! All the dance, music and food in Maharashtra during the event is something that anyone would want to witness at least once in a lifetime. Such is the grandeur!

The festival is seen as the homecoming of the lord. On the first day, idols of the deity are worshipped in designated places at home or in the streets (in pandals). Hymns or mantras are chanted while special pujas are conducted for the God. Food in the form of prasad or nivedyam is offered.

Devotees flock on the streets in large numbers to take part in dance, music and processions chanting “Ganapathi Bappa Moriya” (slogan praising the lord). People also offer prayers at pandals and take part in singing devotional songs in honour of Ganesha.

After 10 days of celebrations and spiritual worship of the lord, it is said that Lord Ganesh then returns to the heavenly abode. Being a symbolic form of bidding goodbye, the idols of the lord are submerged in water.

If you are planning to conduct Ganesh Chaturthi puja at home, there are some things that you need to follow.

The entire house has to be cleaned and ready to welcome the lord. Clay idol of Ganesha is placed on a raised platform.

Prayers and mantras are chanted during the installation. You can also ask a pandit to do the puja and related procedures.

The idol is then bathed with holy water (abhisheka) and then decorated with flowers and garlands. Aarti includes lighting the lamp and chanting of hymns, mantras and devotional songs.

Sweets and savory as prasad or bhog include great importance in the festival. The most important of them being Modak, a sweet dumpling made from jaggery, coconut and rice flour. Keep reading as we discuss some easy recipes for you to try at home.

If it’s your first-time celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi at home, it is natural that you may be feeling overwhelmed. After all, it is indeed a tedious process to bring along all the elements required for the ceremony. Preparation and conducting of the puja require tremendous energy of course. Also, you have to prepare dishes as prasad to serve guests too. Take a note of these Ganesh Chaturthi prasad ideas which are very easy to make!

No Ganesh festival is complete without offering of the Modak. it is believed to be Ganesha’s favorite and the reason why he is referred to as “modakapriya”. Modak or sweet dumplings filled with coconut and jaggery are the prominent prasad or offering of the festival. This Modak recipe is a classic traditional recipe.

This sweet flatbread is typically prepared on all Maharashtrian festivals, including Ganesh Chaturthi

This crunchy, light, crispy and delicious snack is very easy to make. The Puffed rice and jaggery combination make for a tasty snack that would definitely please lord Ganesha and the rest of the others at home.

This classic Indian sweet is generally made on special occasions and festivals, including Ganesh Chaturthi. It is offered to Ganesha as naivedyam or prasad and then, distributed to devotees as blessings

Known as karanji in Maharashtra and gujiya in other parts of India, this sweet is one of the most popular prasads offered to the lord on Ganesh Chaturthi.

This easy-to-make savory snack is one of the most popular spicy recipes for Ganesh Chaturthi.

This crispy and savory snack is an all-time favorite of all Maharashtrian festivals.

So, with these classic yet, easy-to-try recipes in hand, preparing for Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations won’t be difficult. No Indian festival is complete without sumptuous food. Indulging yourself to prepare and consume authentic Indian dishes is a crucial part of the occasion. It’s even more important when the food needs to be served as offering to God.