Hindus in T&T joined with millions of devotees around the world to celebrate the festival of Ganesh Utsav on Thursday.
The ten-day festival to celebrate the birth of the Hindu deity Lord Ganesh culminated with the immersion of clay murtis or statues of the elephant-headed God into bodies of water, symbolizing Ganesh’s homeward journey to Mount Kailash, the abode of his parents Shiva and Parvati.
At Felicity in Central Trinidad, hundreds participated in a street parade throughout the community that started at 5 am and culminated at the Cunupia River where the clay statue was immersed. The murti was placed on a chariot and pulled by devotees. At the river the murti was cleaned and decorated with turmeric and vermillion. Devotees made offerings and performed several ritual devotions before the immersion.
Pundit Vishnu Ramsumir said in Trinidad and Tobago, celebrations were traditionally held in South Trinidad, but picked up pace in the last two decades as the festival spread across the country in communities with a large Hindu population.
The Pundit said devotees continue to get blessings from Ganesh, since he is the remover of obstacles. He added,
“I have seen many, many miracles—even this present year, 2023. I have seen great, great miracles,” Pundit Ramsumir asserted. “People who did not have children were able to have children. People who had businesses going down, it came up.”
He added: “Once you dedicate yourself, it brings great rewards to the devotees.”
