Ganesh chaturti or Ganesha Habba is here and we Indians are fond of this Festival.
We do prepare varieties of Modakas, Laddu, Chakkuli, Kadubu, Pancha Kajjaya etc, for this festival.
Lord Ganesh Idol is prepared with clay soil, this idol is brouhgt home with pomp and paegentry. Pooja is done with Naivedyam and then some do this ritual for three days and some people do Visarjan of Ganesh on the same day in water. Visarjan is done in ponds, rivers, sea or even in well. This shows the human is born, spent his life time and at the end is death.
ಗಣೇಶ ಬಂದ
ಹೊಟ್ಟೆ ಮೇಲೆ ಗಂಧ
ಕಾಯಿ ಕಡುಬು ತಿಂದ
ಚಿಕ್ಕ ಕೆರೇಲಿ ಎದ್ದ
ದೊಡ್ಡ ಕೆರೇಲಿ ಬಿದ್ದ.
The meaning of the above words are
Ganesha has come,
He ate Kayi Kadubu. ( Sweet delicacy made of rice, coconut and jaggery)
He was prepared by smalll pond soil
and he was taken and dipped in the big water way. (May be the river, sea etc).
Lord Ganesh is prayed first in the beginning of any of the pooja. Prathamam Ganesha.
There is a story that on Ganesh Chathurthi we should not see Moon. (Chaturthi moon).
You avoid seeing Moon on this day evening. or might get a bad label as thief even though that you have not done that theft.
There is a story for this.
On this Ganesha festival day, Ganesha had eaten lots of eatables like Laddu, Unde, Pancha kajjaya, Kayi kadubu et.
He was travelling back on his vehicle Mooshika that is Rat. When they were passing the field, the rat saw a snake and pushed Ganesha on the earth and ran away and hid in a bush.
Becarus of the fall Ganesha;s stomack broke and all the edibles came out.
Ganesha got angry and pulled that snake and turned around his stomach. Seeing Ganesha falling Moon laughed. Ganesha got angry and gave him a Curse. that he will turn as a thief.
Moon pleaded him to take away the curse. So Lord Ganapa said who ever sees the moon will have to face the theft crime, even though they do not do it.
And by listening to Shamanthaka Mani Story, the curse does not harm much .
Shamantaka Mani is one of the precious stone given to King Sathrajit and his brother Prasenajith wore that and went for hunting to forest. In the forest a lion killed the Prasenjit and took it. A bear Jambuvantha fought with lion and he took that Shamanthaka Mani and gave it to his daughter.
Shree Krisha had seen the Moon on Ganesha Chuthurthi and the theft lebal was put on him.
Though he did not take that Shamantaka Mani, he was labeled as thief. So Shree Krishna went in search of Shamantaka Mani to a forest and found it on Jambavathi, Jambavanta's daugher.
He fought with Jambavantha, Jambavantha did not realize that is Shree Rama who has taken a birth as Shree Krishna. When he realized he was surrendered and gave the Mani to Shree Krishna. Shree Krishna brought the Shamantaka Mani and gave it to the king Satrajit.
So who ever hear this story of this Shamantaka Mani , will escape from that curse.
Om Shree Krishnaya Namah.
