If You Are Bringing 'Bappa' to Your Home This Year(2019), You Can Let the Enthusiasm Show with These Ganesh Chaturthi Festival Decoration Ideas.

Ganesh Chaturthi is a 10 day Hindu religious festival commemorating the birthday of the elephant-headed God, Ganesh. In Hindu scriptures, he is the God of the arts and sciences as well as of new beginning. He is one of the sons of Shiva and Parvati.

There are two legends regarding the birth of Lord Ganesh. The first one tells that he was born of dirt from Parvati’s body after she created him to guard the entrance to the pool she was taking a bath in. He was instructed to not let anyone in and subsequently, he denied Shiv entry when he tried to get to the pool. A battle ensued between Shiv and Ganesh that led to Ganesh losing his head. Parvati got angry at Ganesh’s death and Shiv promised her that Ganesh will live again. He sends some devas north in search of a head but they could only find that of an elephant’s so seeing no other option, Shiv attached that to Ganesh’s headless body. That is why Lord Ganesh has an elephant head.

Another legend tells that Lord Ganesh was created by Shiv and Parvati on the request of other Devas who wanted someone to create obstacles in the path of Rakshasas(demons) and remove obstacles in the path of the Devas. Hence Lord Ganesh is both Vignakartaa(obstacle-creator) and Vignaharta(obstacle-averter).

Ganesh Chaturthi is an age-old celebration that has its origin in one of the earliest Hindu text, the Rigveda. Records of the reign of Chhatrapati Shivaji show that Ganesh Chaturthi was celebrated during his tenure. Later in the freedom struggle of India, Ganesh Chaturthi served as important function towards the aim of a free India. Freedom fighters across the country were trying to boost the morale of the people by making them take pride in India’s rich cultural heritage. The beloved Ganapati Bappa’s birthday commemoration contributed much towards this aim.

Lord Ganesh, on whose birthday Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated, was first mentioned in the Rigveda, an ancient text of Hinduism. In it he is mentioned as "the seer among the seers, abounding beyond measure in food presiding among the elders and being the lord of the invocation". It has also been stated that nothing is accomplished without him. Though the term ‘Ganapati’ is a Vedic term yet its true meaning which is “guardian of the multitudes” was first prominently associated with Lord Ganesh in the later Hindu texts and the medieval Puranas. He was first termed ‘Vinayaka’ in the Mahabharat and the Skanda Purana, the Narada Purana and the Brahma Vaivarta Purana shower profuse praise on him.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was an iconic Maratha king who has attained the status of a legend now. Records of his reign show that he used to sponsor Ganesh Chaturthi as a major celebration after the Mughal-Maratha wars. His sponsorship made the celebration a major social event and was celebrated with much pomp and fanfare. Though the exact time of the emergence of Ganesh Chaturthi is unknown yet it is believed that the Ganesh festivals held during Shivaji’s time is the precursor to the modern Ganesh Chaturthi.

During the British Raj, Ganesh festival shrunk to a domestic function after state sponsorship was removed. It became a major public festival again after its revival by Lokmanya Tilak. The British passed an anti-public gathering bill in 1892 fearing that seditious ideas were being discussed in public assemblies. Lokmanya Tilak used Ganesh Chaturthi to circumvent this law. Also, he attempted to unite the Indians and make them one unified force against the British by using this festival. He termed Lord Ganesh as a “God of all” and bridged the gap between the Brahmins and the Non-Brahmins in the society. What was once just a commemoration of Lord Ganesh’s birthday became a tool to attain freedom.

Ganesh Chaturthi brings with it the joy of celebration. We get immersed in the activities surrounding this festivity with passion and vigour. One of the major features of this festival is our home decoration. Bright lights, colourful rangolis, diyas, flower decorations become ubiquitous. Some even repaint their houses for the occasion. The extent and quality of home decoration for the purpose of Ganesh Chaturthi and express your passion with which you celebrate the birthday of Lord Ganesh and the devotion you have for him. But sometimes it becomes tedious and exhausting to find out new, unique ways to decorate your home. Having the same décor year after year is quite tiresome and it is understandable you would want to do something different this year. Follow this BP Guide to decorate your house in a unique way this Ganesh Chaturthi.

The door is the entrance through which people gain access to your house. It is a place where Lord Ganesh will gain access to the house. It is the first place your guests will see when you welcome them into your house on the auspicious occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. So special attention must be given to the decoration of your entry during the festival. Embellish your door with a traditional door hanging or toran that has Lord Ganesh imprints on it. This handcrafted wall hanging will be perfect to decorate the door. It is made with paper mache and is multi-coloured. You can easily get the set of 4 these kinds of Door hanging from Amazon at Rs.263.

Wall decals are patterns that give your wall a classy and artsy look. The designs in wall decal are modern and so there is no chance of your wall looking dated. A wall decal consisting of an elaborate line drawing of Lord Ganesh can make your Ganesh Chaturthi home décor the talk of the town. Also, it is a unique way of decorating a home in a festival, something that won't be common across houses.This wall decal sports a Ganesh silhouette drawing in yellow, orange and red. It is of 90 cm x 70 cm and made of vinyl. You can get this on Amazon at Rs.299.

When we think of home décor, especially for a festival, doing something with the cushions is the last thing on our minds. Yet cushions are a prominent part of the sofas in our living room and changing them for the festive purpose can give your room a fresh and new look. Even you would be surprised to see how much those tiny, mostly insignificant cushions could do to level up the décor of your room. This Ganesh Chaturthi clad your cushions with designer covers with Lord Ganesh imprints on them. This will not only make your living room look beautiful but also give it a traditional and holy touch. Like this cushion cover. It is brown with Lord Ganesh’s face imprinted on it. It is made with poly dupion silk and has a zipper closure. A single piece of this cushion cover costs Rs.60 in surplusbrand.com.

Lighting diyas and using them to decorate our houses are an integral part of all Hindu festivals. We do so too on Ganesh Chaturthi. The diyas twinkling calmly along the stretch of our balconies, terrace walls or any other place gives a sublime look to the house. But this Ganesh Chaturthi, do something a bit different. Instead of decorating the interior with diyas, use Ganesh shaped table lamps or lamps with Lord Ganesh imprints on them. This will give an artistic touch to the décor and also will be unique. The terracotta lamp designed by blending contemporary and ethnic styles will fulfil that purpose. The blend of colours in the lamp is perfect and it would give a rustic charm to the room. This beautiful lamp is available on Amazon at Rs.1,589.

Decorating a room with artwork is the best way to go about it. Art is not only aesthetic but also imparts a sophisticated look to the room. You can create an artwork yourself or purchase it from a studio. An idea of Ganesh Chaturthi décor artwork would be a silhouette of Lord Ganesh painted in modern art style. You can do so yourself with some oil paint and a palette knife or let a professional painter do his/her magic. This painting, for example, is a work of art fit to be in your living room this Ganesh Chaturthi. It is a hand-painted Lord Ganesh in modern art style and acrylic paint. The canvas size is 36 inches x 23 inches. The bright bold colours of the painting look mesmerizing. You can get this beautiful painting from fizdi.com at Rs.12,854. The beauty of this painting should take you till website and check the price yourself because online prices fluctuate and maybe you get this one at a lower price.

It is Ganesh Chaturthi and a home décor not consisting of statues of our favourite Ganapati Bappa is like playing Holi without colours. Small or medium-sized Lord Ganesh statues can be placed in strategic places around the house. Be experimental and place statues made of wood, metal, stone and other materials. It also goes according to Vastu to place a Ganesh idol at the entrance of your home. So Ganesh statue decoration is not only beautiful but also auspicious. This Ganesh statue is perfect for decoration purposes. It is made with white marble and has superior detailing. The white colour gives off a pure and sublime vibe. It is a medium-sized idol and you can get this from Amazon at Rs.899.

Fairy lights will make your Puja temple look exquisitely beautiful. It will make it look bright and worshippers would instantly feel good upon entering. Place strings of blue, yellow, red, white and green lights in the temple and see how astonishing the room looks. Tie the strings of light in Lord Ganesh patterns or wrap them around in pillars. Such a décor will not only make the room look picture perfect but also people can appreciate your creativity. This multi-coloured string of fairy lights can be used to decorate your home this Ganesh Chaturthi. The string is 30 metres long and each light bulb is multi-coloured. A remote helps you to choose between 8 colour modes. Amazon is giving it at Rs.599. It is always advisable to check the online prices by going there, who knows it is your lucky day and you get it at cheaper price.

No Indian Hindu festival is complete without a dash of Rangoli on the floor. Use bright colours to make exquisite patterns on the floor. The patterns must be according to symbols relating to Ganesh Chaturthi. You can make this décor an opportunity to spend some fun time with your family members especially kids in the family. Divide into groups and have a friendly competition as to which group makes the best Rangoli.

Decorate the exterior of the house with traditional earthen diyas. There is a charm to the light of the earthen diyas that give off a festive vibe. Place diyas in a pattern at the doorstep of your house and further embellish it with Rangoli around it. Whoever comes to your house on Ganesh Chaturthi will cheer up upon seeing such a beautiful welcome. This pack of 40 clay diyas would be appropriate. Each Diya is plain and in the traditional round shape. Amazon is giving this set of Diyas at Rs.204.

Let the people know of the passion with which you are celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi by installing a head-turning grand entrance. Use pandals with decorative cloth, flowers, the traditional banana leaves and a lot of lights to make your entrance. It should be so attractive that people would be interested to enter your establishment upon laying eyes on it.

Ganesh Chaturthi is a time of celebration. It is a time to forget every stress and problems and actively commemorate the birthday of our beloved Ganapati Bappa. To make the commemoration interesting, you can have a themed Ganesh Chaturthi where the decoration for the festival is according to a particular theme. Since the past few decades, our environment has been consistently deteriorating and we must not delay a moment to arrest that deterioration. Keeping that in mind why not have an eco-friendly themed Ganesh Chaturthi? It will raise awareness among the people and at the same time inspire them to be more responsible towards the planet earth. Here are 5 ways by which you can have an eco-friendly Ganesh Chaturthi.

Ganesh Chaturthi ends with a ritual called ‘Visarjan’, where the idol is immersed in a waterbody. Thus, if the idol is made with materials that are harmful to the environment then it is going to pollute the water where the idol is being immersed. Avoid idols made with chemicals, plaster of Paris, plastic, thermacol and the likes. Instead opt for biodegradable materials like unbaked clay, coconut etc.

Our major sources of energy are fast depleting and they take millions of years to replenish, thus conserving energy is a way of being eco-friendly. Limit your electrical decorations and use them only after sundown. No Indian Hindu festival is complete without bright lights. The idea is not to celebrate in the dark but to be mindful of energy waste. Instead of using traditional bulbs, use CFLs for the electrical lights.

Rangoli is an important part of Ganesh Chaturthi but the powder colours that are used in the process are steeped in chemicals. They not only pose a hazard to human health but also destroy the environment. Hence use natural colours to draw Rangoli this Ganesh Chaturthi. Natural colours include turmeric, henna, rice powder etc.

Plastic has become indispensable in our lives. Plastic is durable, flexible, waterproof and cheap. But it is choking the environment. Plastic is non-biodegradable and doesn’t dissolve in water. Instead, it finds its way into the stomach of animals and fishes and causes unfathomable harm to our ecosystem. This Ganesh Chaturthi let us all pledge to completely ban plastic in commemoration of this festival. Discard plastic from the bags to carry ingredients for the Puja to the material with which the idol is made to the items used in decoration.

Reduce, reuse, recycle should be our daily mantra what with the environment deteriorating so rapidly. Even in Ganesh Chaturthi home decoration, let us have this same mantra. We can store decorative items like lights, diyas etc. and reuse it instead of buying them at every festival. This will reduce the amount of garbage and prevent harming the environment.