We all love him – the god of wisdom. He has many names – Lord Ganesh, Vinayaka, Ganpatiji, Vighnaharta, Bappa and more . He is the beloved god of masses.
In India, We believe Lord Ganesh to be Vighnaharta – the one who can expel all the obstacles to success. It is believed to be bringing fortune while bringing lord Vinayaka in our houses. He banishes the negativity from entering our life.
Ganesh chaturthi is a festival that is celebrated all over the world to honour the birthday of Lord Shiva & Devi Parvati’s loving son – Shree Ganesh. It is celebrated with great fervor and devotion all over India. We bring Ganesh idols to home for special worship / puja on this festival. The duration for this special worship and ritual ranges from a day & a half, 3 days, 5 days, 7 days or 11 days depending upon the family tradition.
To me, this festival not only has a religious importance, but it excites me more the way it brings people of all religions, caste and creed together. People who bring Ganesh idols at home invite relatives, friends and neighbours to join them for Puja, Arti and Prasad. They worship together, sing prayers and there is a whole atmosphere of happiness around. The festival includes fun, dance, sweets, puja ceremony.
Every home has a different space such as bedroom, living room, kitchen, bathroom, drawing room. Similarly, there is always a sacred place built for meditation or worship at home in our culture. It acts as a source of positive energy in the house. Ganesh chaturthi is one of the occasions when you can decorate these places to enchant the deity.
Ganpati bappa brings prosperity to the family.
Do you feel like lagging behind with Dos and Don’ts of decorations and are really confused about where to start or what to incorporate?
Here is my 3 step guide for the interior decor of this festival.
Step 1. Select a right sthapana floor for the Ganesh Idol.
You and your family are very excited as you’ve decided to bring a Ganpatiji idol home, Right? You already know where to buy it. Your nearby pandal on the footpath or the place where all local artists have gathered to sell idols. Those are usually made from plaster of paris (POP). But I would suggest buying clay idols just to avoid pollution after Visarjana. To make it at home is also one of the best options.
The next question rising in your mind would be, Where to put it?
Vastu is one of the very important elements of design and décor so, according to Vastu-shastra, North-East Corner is the best to keep Ganesh idol at home.Select a clean space with proper light. We will be decorating the space with appropriate elements to make the environment pious.In this corner, you can put a chowki or make a pandal to rest the idol on it. There are many options to select a chowki from.
Chowki is a mini table like furniture that is used in many religious rituals. Traditionally, the chowki was made up of wood but nowadays, there are a lot more varieties available. There are marble chowki, metal chowki with beautiful carvings on it and even wooden chowki with beautiful pearls attached on it.
Try selecting the right chowki & Ganesh idol for your home from these online marketplaces. This list here may help you get started.
Maybe you just like the design and could buy it from a nearby local store.
Step 2. Match walls with the decor of your puja room.
How about revamping the wall with paint?
Using green, yellow, golden, saffron or any other bright but festive color will add up to this. But I believe, while being a part of celebrations, we must not forget our responsibility towards the society or the environment. So, we can go for Eco-friendly colors these are colors that don’t contain heavy metals like lead, arsenic, chromium etc. and they have very low percentage of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).
The next option on the checklist is flower garlands, colorful curtains, saris or dupattas, paper cuttings etc. These are commonly used decorations. Thermocol Makhara is trending today where you can get thousands of designs to be used for your Ganesh Sthapana. The surrounding can be decorated with flowers, hanging on walls placing an arch around the idol. One can experiment totally with these decorations using terracotta hangings, bamboo décor or leaves of coconut tree or banana leaves.
Last but not the least, you may want to consider trendy wall decals from these online stores too.
Good thing about the wall decals is, they are cost effective. They last long and yet you can replace them any time you want.
Step 3. Select and Add Lights to complete the ambience.
This is definitely an occasion of expelling the darkness of negativity. This can be reflected through the lighting arrangements in the decorations. Using a variety of lights like LED, Rice lights or String lights will serve the best.
Multicolor rope lights are also in trend. The place where the Ganesh idol is placed can be illuminated using diyas, candles or lamps. Tealight candle holders can also be put on your prayer table or side table decorations. Various lighting arrangements around the balloon decorations, floral arrangements etc. would create a heavenly display.
That’s it!
One day of worship & enjoyment has already passed. Now think about the surprise activities you can arrange for the kids. Yes, There are options like crafts activities with children for the occasion. They can use clay, paper, straws, baskets or anything they can imagine about. The craft specimens made by children can also be a part of your decoration and this would bring an extra joy in their celebrations too.