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Anant Chaturdashi

Celebrated largely in the southern part of the country Anant Chaturdashi is associated with Lord Ganesha who is considered to be the master of eternal power and glory. This festival breaks down all the barriers of caste, creed and religion laid by the social elements and everyone comes together to celebrate the festival with complete rapture and contentment.
It is the last day of the Hindu festival Ganeshotsava. Mostly celebrated in the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, it comes on the tenth or eleventh day of Ganesh Chaturthi which generally falls on the fourteenth day of Bhadrapada or the sixth month of the Hindu calendar.
Similar to all the Hindu festivals an interesting tale is a part of the day’s celebration. According to the Hindu Mythology, there was a Brahmin with the name Sumant. His wife Diksha gave birth to girl child who named Sushila. After the death of Diksha, Sumant married another woman Karkash. Karkash was not at all caring towards Sushila so when Sushila grew younger she decided to marry Kaundinya to get rid of the ruthless behavior of her step mother. Once Sushila joined a group of women bathing in the river. These women were offering prayers to Anant. In order to get endowed with his blessings Sushila prayed as well and in a little time-span became quite rich. One day when her husband observed the Anant string in her hand he became annoyed and told her that they were rich not because of a mere thread but because of his wisdom. Saying this he took the thread and burnt it. After this incident their economic status fell considerably. So he soon realized the importance of Anant string. He decided that he will undergo penance. He vowed for fourteen years and got his wealth back.

On this day the idols, small or huge are brought to water ends and submerged in the water bodies. The day celebrations involve preparation of delicacies, cleaning of house and making a platform especially for Ganesha which is beautifully decorated. Special arrangements are made in big temples of the country to bring the live telecast of the religious ceremonies to the people in various corners of the world.