Hindus celebrate birthday of a god

Making a sacred journey: Devotees taking part in the procession to honour Ganesha and (below) 4WD vehicles carrying vinayagar statues to the Sri Sakthi Karpaga Vinayagar Temple along Jalan Berhala in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur. — KAMARUL ARIFFIN/The Star

GEORGE TOWN: Carrying milk pots, homemade sweets and floral offerings, Hindus throughout the country packed temples to celebrate Vinayagar Chathurthi.

The festival, to mark the birthday of Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed deity, is one of the biggest events in the Hindu calendar worldwide.

The deity is revered as the God of wisdom, intellect and beginnings, besides being the remover of all obstacles.

At the Sri Sakthi Vinayagar Temple in Jalan Fettes, it was a full day of activities yesterday, with the highlight being a chariot procession to the Arulmigu Sree Ganesar Temple in Jalan Water­fall, at the base of the Shree Balathandayuthapani temple.

There were prayers in the mor­ning and lunch for about 1,000 devotees before the chariot procession began.

Among those at the temple were housewife I. Homalathevy, 53, and her husband T. Inthiran, 58.

“Lord Ganesha is our go-to god when there is an obstacle or a new venture. We seek his blessings and give thanks as often as possible.

“As today is his birthday, I made sweets at home to celebrate it.”

Also at the temple was student Venessa Lim, 19, who came with her family – all carrying milk pots and other offerings.

“During the celebration every year, we go to the temple in the morning to offer milk, flowers, mothagam (a special sweet consi­dered Lord Vinayagar’s favou­rite) and mangoes (another favourite).

“I also have an examination coming up and want to pray that it goes well,” she said.

“We pray to him when we face problems or want things to go smoothly,” she said.

Housewife Adelyne Chong, 75, who was there with granddaughter Angeline Ong, 20, said she has been frequenting the temple for over 50 years.

“I may be Chinese, but Lord Vinayagar holds a special place for us as a family.

“Even my granddaughter takes a small Vinayagar statue with her when she studies abroad,” she said.

Temple chairman G. Rajah said the chariot procession took around six hours to make its way to and from the temple in Jalan Waterfall.

Many temples around Klang Valley – including in Petaling Jaya, Brickfields and Sentul – also saw major celebrations.

In Brickfields, where Kuala Lumpur’s Little India is situated, thousands gathered for the cha­riot procession from Sri Sakthi Karpaga Vinayagar Temple in Jalan Berhala.

Also accompanying the chariot were about 30 four-wheel drives, all carrying statues of the deity.

The statues were brought in from India’s Mumbai, which is also known as the “City of Ganesha”.