The Science behind immersing Lord Ganesha
Ganesh Chaturthi will be celebrated on 31st August this year where we worship Lord Ganesha who is the embodiment of wisdom, prosperity and Good fortune. After praying, we immerse His idol in water and bid Him goodbye and tell Ganapati to come back next year. Why do we immerse Lord Ganesha? Ganesh Chaturthi teaches that what has taken form has to become formless and nothing is eternal in this world. The essence if the festival is that the idol has to dissolve and ultimately become part of the five elements thus completing the cycle. Here is the scientific explanation: Fresh water fill up lakes and ponds during rainy seasons. To preserve this, the old clay/soil at the bottom needs to be dug out, aired and replaced. So traditionally, people have been collecting this clay and sculpting it into idols. We worship these idols with turmeric and other natural herbs during Ganapati. During visarjan (immersion), the dried clay settles down in the riverbed and absorbs as much rive...