Puja Pooja Puja Pooja

Today was the day of immersion for our family, so last night some extended family came over and we had a large delicious dinner including these amazing little dumplings called ‘modak’.  They’re not really dumplings, they just look like them.  Anyways, the outside is made out of steamed rice-flour, and the inside is a blend of coconut, jaggery (tastes like molasses), cardamom and poppy seeds.  You’re supposed to open the top and pour a little ghee (clarified butter) on top to make it easier to digest.

This morning (Sunday), we left just before 8am to go to perform puja (pooja) for the oldest Ganpati in Pune.  As we drove, my grandfather fulfilled his grandfatherly duties and explained every historical thing he could think of to me like the Shaniwar Wada palace-fort we drove by on our way to the 400 year old temple in Kasba Peth.  Pune is known as the city of Ganesh, and Pune’s first idol is Kasba Ganpati who resides in Kasba Peth.  I was told this Ganpati idol is 1600 years old.  On the last day of the festival, Shri Kasba Ganpati will play the leading role during the immersion procession.

Kasba Ganpati is decorated in pure gold.  Gold ears, gold crown, gold jewelry.  Beyond beautiful.  The idol is normally located within the temple, but during the festival he is brought out for people to worship.  There was a long line of people coming to bring flowers, money and coconuts as an offering to the idol.  Then, in front of the idol (who sits on a stage inside a mini temporary open temple), there was a crowd of people sitting on the ground chanting hymns in honor of Ganesha.  My host-mother’s mother has the honor of being invited every year to perform puja for this idol after receiving an impressive award for a documentary film she made, so we had the privilege of going with her.  We went right up on the stage in front of the idol who sat in an incredible silver throne of sorts surrounded by flowers that had been offered to him.  We performed our puja on the stage in front of the idol, offering flowers, chanting, and clapping.  I was given prasad as I left the stage, and then a saffron sash with hindi hymns written on it was draped over my shoulders.  After our puja, we visited the temple that Kasba Ganpati normally sits in to offer coconuts and more flowers.

Then we returned home to have some more tea with the whole family.  After tea, we went to grandmother’s home to perform puja for HER Ganesha, get more red/yellow powder on my forehead, take more prasad, and have coffee because the four cups of tea I’ve already had wasn’t enough.  Finally, we came home for lunch (or so I thought) and performed another puja for our own idol at home.  I’m starting to catch on to a few of the phrases in the hymns they chant for puja.  THEN we got to eat lunch, as if I wasn’t completely full already on all of the prasad and modak.  I swear, I’m going to gain ten pounds this weekend.  After lunch, I was allowed to relax for a little while and then in the evening we went to immerse the idol.

We drove a few minutes to the edge of the river where we, by some miracle, found a parking spot close to the bridge.  As I got out, my senses were accosted by the all-women’s drum group performing nearby, the chanting, the bell-ringing and the traffic... and the incense, the flowers, the city streets, prasad, the oils and more.  We wiggled our way through the crowd as hundreds of people brought their idols to the river.  I’m pretty sure I was the only white person in sight.  As we got down to the river-side there was a battle for our attention.  In an effort to be “green” the Pune Municipal Corporation is encouraging eco-friendly Ganpati idols made from clay, and they urge people to immerse their idols in the tanks provided by the PMC next to the river.  Angered with these new, tradition-breaking green practices, there are some protestors (very calm, non-aggressive protestors) with signs explaining to people that they are not following the Hindu tradition properly.  Apparently the idol is supposed to be immersed in moving waters, so being eco-friendly and immersing your idol in the tanks is against tradition.  My family prefers the eco-friendly version, so we brought our idol to the tank and said goodbye to Ganpati.  We took prasad, which for the first time was not sweet but strangely spicy, and then made our way back through the crowds to the car and went home.

I had one more cup of tea when we got home, and because I haven’t had enough sweets this weekend, I had a couple of homemade brownies that my roommate’s sister brought with her when she came to visit this weekend.  Definitely going to explode at this point.  Oh, and I still need to save room for dinner.  Life is rough.

Unfortunately, I did not bring my camera with me for all of the pujas I just described, however, I do have it glued to my wrist most other times... so here are some other, not quite as old, Ganpatis that are out for the festival!

Ganpati on Bhandarkar Road (near my homestay)

Peacock-themed Ganpati on F.C. Road!

Close-up of the peacock (this is for you, Mom)

Sand art at our program center!