Colourful celebrations for Hindus at Peterborough's Ferry Meadows

There were colourful celebrations at Peterborough’s Ferry Meadows on Thursday (September 28) as Hindus marked one of the most important festivals in the calendar.

Hindus from the Bharat Hindu Samaj temple were at the park to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi, also called Vinayaka Chavithi.

A spokesperson from the temple said: “It is an auspicious Hindu festival which is celebrated for 10 days every year. The festival is celebrated in the Bhadra month as per the Hindu calendar which generally falls in mid-August to September. It marks the birthday of the beloved elephant-headed Lord Ganesha.”

Lord Ganesha, son of Lord Shiva and Parvati, is one of the most loved deity in Hinduism. Ganesha, also known as Ekdanta, Vinayaka, dukh harta is considered as the remover of obstacles and the diety is prayed first before any other god.

During the celebrations a Ganesh idol was taken through the park in a procession, before being immersed in water at Ham Bridge.

The temple spokesperson said: “The ritual is done to signify the birth cycle of Lord Ganesha; just as he was created from clay/Earth, his symbolic statue is as well. The idol is immersed in water so that Ganesha may return to his home after his 'stay' at the devotees' home or temple Why Ganesha Chaturthi rituals are conducted:

“The celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi also denotes the significance of the cycle of birth, life and death. It is believed that when the idol of the Ganesha is taken out for immersion, it also takes away with it the various obstacles of the house and these obstacles are destroyed along with the immersion.”