GANESH Chaturthi, the great 10-day Ganesha Hindu festival, was celebrated in Borth at weekend.

Taking centre stage at the event, organised by the Aberystwyth Hindu Cultural Society at the community hall, was a life-like clay model of Lord Ganesha brought in by the Sonanis family.

Ganesha is known by 108 different names and is the Lord of arts and sciences and the deva of wisdom.

He is honoured at the start of all Hindu rituals and ceremonies as he’s considered the God of beginnings.

He’s widely and dearly referred to as Ganapati or Vinayaka.

He is the younger son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.

A life-like clay model of Lord Ganesha is made sometimes months prior to the day of Ganesh Chaturthi.

The size of the idol may vary from 3/4 of an inch to over 25 feet.

On the 10th day of the festival, all join in the final procession, shouting “Ganapathi Bappa Morya, Purchya Varshi Laukariya” (O father Ganesha, come again early next year).

After the final offering of coconuts, flowers and camphor are made, people carry the idol to the river to immerse it.

Ganesha Chaturthi has been celebrated in Aberystwyth for the past few years lead especially by the Sonanis family.

The ceremony and worship is done in the house and then after the immersion of the idol, usually there’s a cultural event held to mark the occasion in a community hall.

The members of the community take part in the cultural events and also cook food for the event.

The whole community comes to worship Ganesha in beautifully adorned ethnic dresses.

This year the Hindu community formed an association – Aberystwyth Hindu Cultural Society (AHCS) – and held the cultural event in Borth Community Hall on 2 September.

The association, this year, was also very kindly helped by the town council funding, and thus the cultural event was held in a more organised and elaborate fashion.

See the story in this week’s Aberystwyth edition