A tour of the historic Sindhudurg
District in the Indian state, Maharashtra, is never complete without
a visit to one of its towns called Malvan. This town attracts many
tourists coming from distant places every year, as it is home to the
famous Sindhudurg Fort and several pristine beaches. Besides all its
popular places, some of the major festivals celebrated in this region
also draw a sizeable number of travellers. One of these festivals is
Ganesh Chaturthi, celebrated in the Hindu month of Bhadrapada.
It honours Lord Ganesha, and is also
celebrated as a festival of thanksgiving for an abundant harvest.
Preparations for it begins much earlier, with skilled artisans
creating clay models of Lord Ganesha. They vary in size and depict
the Hindu deity in various poses and beautiful decorations. On the
day of Ganesh Chaturthi, these statues are installed in many homes
and public places inside temporarily erected structures called
'Mandaps' or 'Pandals'. Celebrations vary from a single day to 11
days, culminating in the immersion of Lord Ganesha's statue in a
large body of water. Rituals performed throughout the festive days
include singing of 'Artis' and different offerings of coconut,
jaggery and a sweet dish called 'Modak'. The entire Malvan town comes
alive with grand festivities on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. The
hotels in Malvan provide
comfortable accommodations at reasonable rates for tourists visiting
around this time of the year.
According to the Gregorian calendar,
this festival falls in the period between late August and early
September. Tourists can plan their journey and make their hotel
bookings in advance to ensure a pleasant stay while enjoying their
vacation in this region during the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations.
Besides making a trip to the enormous Pandals erected at public
places, they can explore all the interesting attractions in and
around Malvan.