Lord Ganesh appeased with 1111 lamps

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Devotion has many forms. A unique method has been adopted by Pravin Joshi, a devotee who tied 1111 lamps to his body and offered prayers to Lord Ganesha on the occasion of "Ganesh Utsav" at Thane in Maharashtra.

The 1111 lamps tied to his body presented a glorious sight as Pravin Joshi, danced in front of the idol of Lord Ganesha.

The annual ten-day Ganesha festival is celebrated with great ardour across the country. This year the festival began on September 3.

Pravin, who has been performing the act of tying lamps to his body to offer prayers to the god for the past eight years, has performed this act across many states in the country.

"By the grace of god, I have been performing this act for past eight years in front of the gods. I started off with 151 lamps and today I performed it with 1111 lamps. I have performed this act in many parts of the country," said Pravin Joshi.

The festival, which begins with Ganesh Chaturthi, marks the birth anniversary of lord Ganesha and signifies good omen and prosperity. During the festival, the devotees offer prayers to appease Lord Ganesha and seek his blessings.

For years, Ganesha Chaturthi was a personal or private affair, celebrated within homes.
But at the turn of the century, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, the legendary freedom fighter from Maharashtra, converted it into a public event using it as a platform to forge patriotism.

Legend has it that Hindu Goddess Parvati or Gauri, consort of lord Shiva, one of the three most powerful gods in the Hindu pantheon, had created Ganesha from a perfumed putty-like substance.

Shiva flew into rage on seeing the boy near the bath and beheaded him.

Later, on realisation of his mistake Shiva brought him back to life by slaying an elephant and giving him the animal's head.

Thus was created Ganesha who is worshipped at the beginning of every auspicious occasion.