Greetings to all on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. It is one of the major festivals in Goa and this year the celebrations fall on September 18 through 20.

The heavily forested taluka of Sattari in Goa‘s northeast holds some of the most remarkable surprises. This ancient image of Ganesha, embraced by the roots of a tree, lies outdoors by a secluded, seasonal creek in the village of Ambelim. It remains submerged under water during the monsoon months. Nobody quite knows its history.

Ganapati sculpture in the outdoors at Ambelim, Goa
5D Mark II, Zeiss ZE 50 f/2 MP

Ensconced in the tree roots
5D Mark II, Zeiss ZE 50 f/2 MP

Wider view
5D Mark II, Zeiss ZE 50 f/2 MP

All posts on the Ganesha theme are collected at this link. And my old photo essay on Huffington Post is here.

Greetings to all on the occasion of the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi which falls on Sept 1 this year. Seen below is the 4.5 metres tall, 15th C sculpture of Kadalekalu Ganesha at Hampi. The image was taken handheld at ISO 1600.

Kadalekalu Ganesha at Hampi, Karnataka
5D, 24-105L

This year the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi falls on August 23. The weight-challenged Mr. G is much loved and admired all over the country. In Goa, the celebration has traditionally symbolized a return to the roots with Goan Hindus repairing to their native villages across the state. Fun, fireworks and lots of delicious high calorie vegetarian food mark the occasion, for Mr. G is the biggest foodie around.

A few selections from the 2007 festivities at our place in Panjim follow.

Ganesha
5D, 24-105L

My nephew Yash and niece Saraswati doing aarti
5D, 24-105L

Traditional meal served on banana leaf
5D, 24-105L

Traditional sweets
5D, 24-105L

Ganapati Bappa prepares to leave
5D, 24-105L

Visarjan: Farewell to Mr. G at the Panjim docks by River Mandovi
5D, 24-105L