During Ganesh Chaturthi/Vinayaka Chavithi, devotees bring home or install Lord Ganesha’s idol and worship him for ten days, marking his symbolic presence on earth. The worship culminates with the immersion or Visarjan, which has a spiritual and cultural meaning.
According to tradition, Ganesha, the remover of obstacles, comes to bless households and communities, and his return to water signifies his journey back to Mount Kailash, where he resides with his parents Lord Shiva and Parvati. The ritual also reflects the Hindu belief in the cycle of creation and dissolution: what is formed from clay and water must ultimately return to nature.
Originally, idols were made from natural clay, which dissolved easily, maintaining ecological balance. The ten-day period is linked with the Puranic idea of balance between devotion and detachment, teaching devotees to welcome divinity with love and let go without attachment. This blend of faith, symbolism, and ecology makes the immersion ceremony significant.
