Ganesh Chaturthi is an important festival in India and is celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of Ganesh the elephant-headed God son of Shiva and Parvati. It is a special festival in Maharshtra, Tamil nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. This festival is celebrated for 10 days in Maharashtra.

It is beleived that Lord Ganesha was born on this day and every chaturthi is considered auspicious. During the Ganeh Chaturthi festival, thousands clay idols of Ganesha are specially prepared in every size, pose, form and colour and worshipped at the community or family festivals which last between one to ten days.

During the period when the idol of Ganesha is installed in a home, every morning and evening prayers (Aarti) are performed and hymns are sung. The singing of hymns is a popular event during this festival, especially for children. Maharashtrians make sweets called 'Modak' and offer them to Ganesh. 

The festival ends with the ceremony of immersion of the idols in the sea or rivers and wells. This ceremony, which is called Ganesha-Visarjan, which means immersion of Ganesha, is as popular as the festival proper. During the immersion ceremony huge crowds move in a procession carrying idols of Ganesha towards the places of immersion. These processions, which take, place with great fanfare, begin in the afternoon and continue till the late hours of the night. Although this festival is observed in all parts of the country, it is celebrated with maximum fervour in Maharashtra where it is celebrated both publicly and privately. The public celebrations of this festival is called Sarvajanik Ganeshotsava.