Vedic chants and bells resonate in the air as devotees throng various temples to offer prayers to Lord Ganesha, the beloved elephant-headed deity, on the occasion of Vinayak Chaturthi, which is celebrated across south India today.
People stood patiently in serpentine queues at the Sri Ganesh temple in Secunderabad, Telangana, waiting for their turn to offer prayers.
Hyderabad witnessed joyous celebrations as devotees, dressed in their finest festive attire, performed traditional folk dances at a pandal in the city.
Devotees in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, have been queuing up at the famous Mundhi Vinayagar temple, dedicated to Lord Ganesha, since early morning.
The temple houses a magnificent idol of the deity carved in black stone, measuring 20 feet high.
Elaborate rituals were performed at the Haritra Vinayagar temple in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, before the mesmerised eyes of devotees.
The temple deity is beautifully decorated with silver armour, and a special abhishek consisting of milk, water and various other offerings was made on this auspicious occasion.
From dawn, a huge crowd gathered around Lalbaugcha Raja, one of the most popular Ganesh pandals in Mumbai.
Hundreds of thousands of devotees from all over the world are expected to flock to the pandal during the ten-day festival.
Ganesh Chaturthi, marking the birth of Lord Ganesha, began on Saturday, with idols of the deity being installed in homes and public pandals across the country amid much fanfare and devotional fervour.
Families, including children and elderly people, came out of their homes early in the morning to worship the elephant-headed God and bring idols of the deity to their homes amid chants of ‘Ganpati Bappa Morya’ and beating of drums.
Video: PTI
