Ganesh Chaturthi: Colourful variations of a divine faith

The ongoing Ganesh Chaturthi festival is a spectacle of faith like no other. Fashioned from mere clay, the elephant-headed God's radiant form is playfully imagined by creators, reclaiming the space of divine faith in the mind. Behold the magical mystery of the Radiant One, in these photos that follow
Curated By: Madhu Kapparath
Published: Sep 13, 2024
A bedecked Ganesha lounges regally on his throne at a pandal in Mayur Vihar, Delhi on the occasion o

Image by : Raj K Raj/HT via Getty Images

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A bedecked Ganesha lounges regally on his throne at a pandal in Mayur Vihar, Delhi on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi on September 7, 2024. Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated across the country to mark the birth of a God associated with wisdom and an auspicious beginning.

An artist gives final touches to four forms of baby Ganeshas marked by their hairstyles for the Gane

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An artist gives final touches to four forms of baby Ganeshas marked by their hairstyles for the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, on August 28, 2024 in Mumbai, India. Bhushan

A delightful Ganesha, designed using popular biscuit packets on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi fes

Image by : R.Satish Babu / AFP

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A delightful Ganesha, designed using popular biscuit packets on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Chennai on September 7, 2024.

Lalbaugcha Raja, as the Ganesh idol is popularly known in the locality of Lalbaug in Mumbai, is unve

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Lalbaugcha Raja, as the Ganesh idol is popularly known in the locality of Lalbaug in Mumbai, is unveiled to the media on September 5, 2024.

A passenger takes the deity home in a taxi on the eve of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai on

Image by : Ashish Vaishnav/SOPA /LightRocket via Getty Images

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A passenger takes the deity home in a taxi on the eve of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai on September 6, 2024.

In a surprising variation, Lord Ganesha hugs Mushaka, the mouse, his chosen vehicle found alongside

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In a surprising variation, Lord Ganesha hugs Mushaka, the mouse, his chosen vehicle found alongside in the usual depictions of the idol, at a local workshop in Ahmedabad, India, on September 7, 2024.

A devotee offers prayers before a Ganesha, enveloped in strung turmeric root, on the occasion of Gan

Image by : R.Satish BABU / AFP

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A devotee offers prayers before a Ganesha, enveloped in strung turmeric root, on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi festival, in Chennai on September 7, 2024.

Devotees carry a leaping Ganesha to a pandal in Mumbai ahead of Ganesh Chaturthi Festival on August

Image by : Bhushan Koyande/HT via Getty Images

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Devotees carry a leaping Ganesha to a pandal in Mumbai ahead of Ganesh Chaturthi Festival on August 25, 2024

A Ganesh in a traditional fishermen’s robe sits on a crab at Ghadigaonkar Ganesh Workshop at L

Image by : Bhushan Koyande/Hindustan Times via Getty Images

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A Ganesh in a traditional fishermen’s robe sits on a crab at Ghadigaonkar Ganesh Workshop at Lalbaug, on February 4, 2024 in Mumbai, India

An unusual variation of Ganesha, with multiple heads featuring various deities, gazes benignly at a

Image by : NOAH SEELAM / AFP

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An unusual variation of Ganesha, with multiple heads featuring various deities, gazes benignly at a pandal in Hyderabad on September 7, 2024.

Posing for a photo with her brother, a girl assumes the posture of the Ganesh deity at a home in Mum

Image by : Ashish Vaishnav/SOPA /LightRocket via Getty Images

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Posing for a photo with her brother, a girl assumes the posture of the Ganesh deity at a home in Mumbai on September 8, 2024

Ghatkopar Police Station’s personnel carry the idol of Lord Ganesha from the workshop to the p

Image by : Satish Bate/HT via Getty Images

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Ghatkopar Police Station’s personnel carry the idol of Lord Ganesha from the workshop to the police station where it will be installed for a week on September 7, 2024 in Mumbai.

A temporary shrine to Lord Ganesha in Mumbai features a theme highlighting the recent rape and murde

Image by : Indranil MUKHERJEE / AFP

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A temporary shrine to Lord Ganesha in Mumbai features a theme highlighting the recent rape and murder of a doctor on September 11, 2024.

A devotee whispers a fervent prayer to Ganesha before the immersion in Yamuna River near Jaitpur Mad

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A devotee whispers a fervent prayer to Ganesha before the immersion in Yamuna River near Jaitpur Madanpur Khadar Village, Delhi on September 8, 2024

A tiny idol of Ganesh is glimpsed before its immersion in an artificial pond in Mumbai on September

Image by : Ashish Vaishnav/SOPA/LightRocket via Getty Images

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A tiny idol of Ganesh is glimpsed before its immersion in an artificial pond in Mumbai on September 8, 2024

In a surprising variation, Ganesh is accompanied by Lord Ram and temple to his immersion at an artif

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In a surprising variation, Ganesh is accompanied by Lord Ram and temple to his immersion at an artificial pond in Dadar, Mumbai on September 8, 2024.

Adorned in dreadlocks and a crescent moon, Ganesha appears in the form and colour of his own  f

Image by : Bhushan Koyande/HT via Getty Images

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Adorned in dreadlocks and a crescent moon, Ganesha appears in the form and colour of his own  father, Lord Shiva,  before his immersion at Dadar, Mumbai on September 8, 2024.